


Between the Pages

by Lucicelo



Category: Death Note, Totally Spies
Genre: Cameras, Crossover, Dessert & Sweets, Drama, Friendship, Hugs, Humor, Investigations, L unwillingly gains three new friends, No Romance, Secrets, Spa Treatments, Spies & Secret Agents, Take this as seriously as you want, Undercover Names
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2018-05-03 21:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5308412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucicelo/pseuds/Lucicelo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Due to L's insistence, Watari takes a week off after a big break in the case. To cover his charge, he goes to his old friend Jerry Lewis to find his best agents to overshadow L. Once Sam, Alex, and Clover step foot onto Japan, their names and faces are changed to protect them from Kira's gaze. Their week with L turns into the most interesting time of their lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> A mashup of Totally Spies and Death Note! This came after weeks of revisiting these two shows in my spare time. I used the building L designed as the basis of their location. So this can be around the time after the Yotsuba Arc, gaps in time occurred during the story line after they caught Higuchi. The girls presence stops Light from attempting his plan in killing L until they leave.
> 
> Sam will go as Sandra, Clover as Cassie, and Alex as Angela.
> 
> I did use gadgets from the show but just ones that I found more convenient. They might not get used in this fic but the compowder will be the most used.
> 
> -Lucicelo

_Woohp Headquarters - 9:05_   _am._

Jerry finished preparing his tray with treats and tea cups with minutes to spare. He set it down on his desk. Wiping down any spilled liquid, he tossed the rag inside of the waste basket in his desk. He spent time spiffing up his office, making sure any stray papers went in their proper folder and file cabinet. Smiling in satisfaction, he fiddled with his tie. Years passed since he last saw his old friend. Sure, they kept in touch through phone calls or in recent years, web cam conversations. It wasn't the same in his opinion. Personal meetings gave them a chance to exchange old stories from their younger years.

His office provided the security to hide their secrets from any prying ears. The walls of his office canceled out their voices before they reached the outside. After all, his friend held his privacy to a high standard. His job description on assisting a detective made him paranoid and extra careful to hide their identities. Even Wammy's House security system outmatched most of the high tech systems in the world.

Jerry wanted nothing more than to look through the mechanics. Soak in all the technology while writing down notes. Whoop always pushed out new gadgets but seeing the work of others inspired him. Wammy warned him not to hack into their networking. He described his line of hackers who made sure no gaps showed up in their coding.

It didn't stop Jerry from imagining tinkering with the machinery.

An alarm alerted him on his friend's arrival. Pressing a button on his desk, the glass door opened and the floor moved on forward. A figure appeared in a nice form fitting suit. Jerry grinned when he caught eyes with Quillsh Wammy. The man took off his hat and held it to his chest. He carried a thick briefcase in his left hand. One difference Jerry spotted was the thick mustache on Wammy's face.

His own thin mustache needed to grow a lot more to reach that level. He didn't realize he touched his upper lip. Shuffling his hands behind his back, he tried hiding his slip up.

Once the moving walkway stopped, Wammy set down his hat and briefcase on the set moving floor. He stepped off the walkway before any more surprises popped up. The variant technology around Whoop never ceased to amaze him. A far improvement from the last occasion he visited Beverly Hills. Although, the firewalls they installed in their laptops far surpassed the organization.

Jerry removed his hands from his back before he shook Wammy's hand. He greeted him with the biggest grin on his face. "Quillsh! How was your flight old friend? I hope it was to your liking."

Wammy answered with a smile. "Just fine. A private jet works wonders to provide all the comfort needed for the long hours in the air. My charge doesn't enjoy the cramped seats in commercial flights which prompted us to modify a private jet to fit his qualifications. Also, my own comforts for my aching back."

Jerry laughed. "I see. Why don't you take a seat? I made some tea just in time for your arrival."

"Splendid! I wanted to order from a cafe but I held back from doing so. I assumed you would treat me to a cup." Wammy sat down on the seat right beside Jerry's desk. He picked up the tea and the saucer, inhaling the smell as he relaxed in his seat. "This is Darjeeling tea, correct? Smells lovely."

"Exactly right." Jerry added milk to his tea and mixed it with his spoon. "I decided to switch from Irish Breakfast tea this week. I wanted variation so I didn't tire of my current tea. From all the stresses at work, I need my relaxing cup to calm me down."

Wammy sipped his tea before he added milk. "The flavor is delicious. Thank you Jerry."

"Now, what brings you here to Woohp?" Jerry inquired, he took a bite of his scone and washed it down with his tea. "As far as I was concerned, you were in the middle of a high ranking case. I got word from one of my agents who solved a low ranking case in Japan."

"We are still on the case." Wammy drank more of his tea. "It's taking a lot longer than we expected."

"Hmm...that doesn't answer why you wanted my help. You're far away from Japan."

Wammy set his tea cup on his saucer. "I need your top spies to shadow L while I'm on vacation."

* * *

_Mali U - 11:10 am._

Clover sipped her low fat decaf mocha frappuchino with dejection. Hunching her shoulders, she ignored the strings of good looking boys walking past her table. Having scouted a good percentage of them, she held no interest in them. None of them suited her interests. Then again, new students came around each semester. More chances came at every corner but the guys didn't catch her eye or some had girlfriends. She tried not to gag at seeing the couples showing PDA as they kept on walking. Stopping to smooch and then giggling in close proximity. That should've been her!

She sucked on her straw even harder. The incoming frozen treat made her head hurt. She rubbed her head and whined at the sensation. Hiding her face inside her arms, she tired regaining herself. Alex sat across from her, oblivious to her dismay while slurping her noodles. Clover heard her delightful commentary on her food and felt her shaking the table with her squirming.

Alex let out a sigh. "I so don't want to take that pop quiz today. I heard from a classmate that it's brutal and I don't want to ruin the rest of my day." She sipped her fresh squeezed juice and smacked her lips. "But my early lunch sure makes up for it!" She noticed Clover's drink remained mostly full. "Clover is everything alright?"

"No!" Clover sighed. "Not even my frappuchino has brightened up my mood. I need a medipedi and facial mask stat. My nails are looking harsh this week."

Alex gulped down more noodles. "We can always go after classes and have a full on spa day. It is Friday after all! All weekend to pamper ourselves and forget all about those mean old classes."

"That sounds sweet!" Clover stirred her drink. "I need a break from my classes."

"Alex! Clover!" They turned around in time to see Sam running toward them with a stack of books in her arms. "I'm so relieved you're still here! Sorry I'm late, I needed to finish a paper for my literature class before the weekend!" Her dropped her books on the table, rattling the drinks around as she sat down with an exhale. "I still have a project and three assignments to do."

Clover drawled. "Well Sammy, you wouldn't have so much homework if you didn't pick such hard classes. You practically booked your days around these classes that we rarely see you anymore."

Sam huffed. "Well excuse me for trying to gain as much knowledge as I can. All the classes are so interesting I can't decided which ones I want to pick! Besides, after this semester, I won't have so many courses. I'm trying to cut it down so I have some time to relax."

Alex patted Sam's shoulder. "You need to take a break Sammy. Clover and I are planning a spa weekend plus manipedis! You should come along with us."

Sam smiled. "That sounds amazing! I can do my homework on Sunday night before returning to classes. I so need a spa weekend to take the stress off."

Clover giggled. "Great! No talk of homework or anything relating to school. It's time to have a girl bonding weekend!"

All of a sudden, the umbrella on top of them widened and they got sucked up. The umbrella closed and then puffed out. Their screams were hushed fast and their table was void of anything.

* * *

_Woohp Headquarters - 11:30 am._

Jerry stood in amusement as he heard the girls screams from the tunnel. Awaiting their arrival, he readied himself for their usual snark when they got their senses back. Having grown used to it, an array of sentences formed in his head. He heard a slight chuckle from behind the door beside him. Having warned Wammy of the spies entrance, the man found the same humor as him.

The tunnel widened. Alex landed right on the sofa. Her food splattered behind them. Sam fell in an awkward position with her legs up in the air. Her books clattered all around them. Clover's frappuchino covered a majority of her hair when she bounced off the sofa. This caused her to fume and squeal as she shuffled the substance from her hair. Dropping into plops on the once pristine floor underneath their feet.

Alex grinned up at Jerry and gave him a thumbs up. Utter relief showed in her face. "You woohped us at the perfect time! I really needed to get out of that pop quiz."

Clover pouted. "What happened to sending us a car to bring us here? Maybe even a nice jet ride? Woohp Headquarters is not far from Mali-U, Jerr!" She thought her complaints might one day reach Jerry's mind. For some reason, she thought he found it funny to snatch them from their everyday life without prior warning.

Sam turned to Jerry. "I have an assignment to turn into my afternoon class! Oh this is going to affect my grade big time. The professor doesn't accept late assignments."

Clover wagged her finger. "Loosen up a little Sam, missing one assignment won't kill you."

"Clover's right Sammy." Alex added in. "Besides, your professor knows you turn everything in a week early. He won't mind if you turn it in on the day it is due."

Jerry said. "Ladies, I know this is short notice but we have an important mission for you to take. The mission is to protect L-"

Sam gasped in amazement, she clasped her hands in front of her body. "The _L_! The world famous detective who takes on cases no one else can solve! I can't believe this! I get to meet him face to face!"

Clover giggled. " _Ooooh_. Is he handsome?" She twirled her hair with her finger while imagining a suave and sophisticated man in her mind.

"I bet he has a deep baritone of a voice. Like velvet chocolate!" Alex's eyes shined as she leaned against Clover. Both of them sighed in bliss.

Jerry coughed into his hand. "Ladies."

"Sorry Jerr." They said in simultaneous alignment.

"As I was saying," The screen behind Jerry showed the letter L and slight information on the detective. "Quillsh Wammy, came to me to ask for Woohp's top agents to protect his charge. He's going on vacation and wanted nothing but the best." The door beside him opened and Wammy walked out with a laptop in his hands. "He's an old friend of mine from back in England. I trust you ladies can handle this without any problems."

Wammy nodded his head toward their direction with a smile. "Good morning." He opened the laptop and set it on the table. The girls saw a large L on the screen. "L would like to speak with you. He wanted to asses all three of you before he decides to pick you for this mission."

Alex waved her hand with a smile. "No problem with me. Right girls?"

Sam and Clover expressed the same sentiments.

Wammy whipped out three pieces of paper and handed it to them. "Before he begins, you need to sign these contracts. In this meeting, hidden information about the Kira case might come to light. This is still an open investigation and certain aspects need to stay hidden. Ultimately, it is his decision to choose you ladies or ask about another agent. Please sign with your initials."

Clover crossed her arms. "Our initials?"

Sam turned to Clover. "You know the way that murderer kills people. Name and a face." She signed her initials and handed it back to Wammy. "We can't even speak our own real names while in Japan."

Alex whimpered. "I'm not sure about this one girls..."

Wammy assured Alex with a white lie. "Kira primarily targets criminals, the individual won't come after you."

Clover and Alex signed theirs with hesitation before handing the papers to Wammy.

Wammy addressed L. "Every single contract is signed and dated. You can start now."

**"Thank you. Hello, I am L."**

The distorted voice confused the girls as they turned to Wammy. He answered their silent question. "L prefers privacy before anyone meets him in person. This includes disguising his voice." They gazed back at the laptop with new found interest.

Clover waved at the laptop with a wink. "A pleasure to meet you handsome."

"Clover!" Alex and Sam exclaimed.

Jerry sighed.

Wammy hid his amused smile with the back of his hand.

Clover placed a hand on her chest. "What? I'm just being friendly. We're going to meet him in just a few hours anyway. Might as well get acquainted with him. There's nothing wrong with that girls."

**"I would prefer that you cease on addressing me with unnecessary adjectives, Ms. Clover. In this setting, it is inappropriate."**

Clover giggled. "Call me Clover."

Sam pinched Clover's side, she ignored the yelp that came from the girl. "Ignore Clover, she ordered decaff this morning and she's still settling in for the day. Um...is there anything you wanted to know about us?" Her nervousness showed in her smile.

**"The files Wammy sent me gave me an insight in each of your backgrounds. Very thorough information in your long list of abilities and espionage. Far more detailed than the ones the FBI sent us on their operatives. Your success rate is impressive. Starting from such a young age in high school, you three juggled your double lives real well."**

Sam, Alex, and Clover beamed with pride. They took great pleasure in hearing all their training showed in their work. Through each mission, they applied their special touches to succeed in completing their mission. The gadgets helped a great deal.

**"I'm curious on the lack of stealth in hiding your identities. From my files, you've revealed your profession on a number of occasions. The subjects in question received memory altering treatments to conceal Woohp's existence. The fact your normal lives haven't gotten affected from these mistakes astounds me."**

Alex piped up. "All the baddies are in Woohp prison, none of them could possibly do anything to us. Some of them have escaped but we caught them and sent them packing right back into jail."

Sam sighed with a wave of her hand. "It's just an endless cycle of newer baddies trying to take over the world. Nothing we can't handle."

Clover pointed to Jerry. "Jerry has revealed Woohp just like us. Even a seasoned veteran like him has slipped up. Don't blame us for all of them!"

Jerry scratched the back of his neck with shame. "Minor mistakes, I assure you, L. The girls will rise beyond their capabilities and won't let you down. We do have other spies in our ranks but they won't have the record the girls have under their belts."

"L." Wammy addressed him. "Remember, you insisted I leave on a week long vacation. Nothing has surfaced in the case and this is a good break for you as well. To have a proper distraction from staying with the Task Force. From my short interaction with them, they seem like charming young women."

**"I remember my suggestions."**

"Your judgement?"

 **"They're welcome to arrive in your stead."** Sam, Alex and Clover sighed in relief.  **"They have to take on new identities to mask their names. Their usual attire will work for this mission as well. From the images I have here, the usual spy attire won't work while they stay with me. Don't worry on accommodations, I have three unused rooms for them to occupy."**

Alex pumped her fist. "Awesome! I can try some of the good local food and explore the many districts!"

Clover said. "Imagine all the shopping we can do in Tokyo! All the current Japanese fashions! Ooooh I can't wait!"

"All those bookstores with infinite knowledge of Japan. Oh and all those national monuments we can visit." Sam declared.

Jerry informed them. "Need I remind you that this is not a vacation, you are there to overshadow L."

Wammy chuckled. "After they finish the errands for the day, they will have plenty of time to spare. I don't even spend all my time in our location."

**"I don't require them _all_  to stay with me every hour of the day. Although, one of them stays around me for my necessities. It depends on the activity of the day, in which case, you all can go as you wish. I do urge them to carry one of our phones at all times or they record my number in their compowders under a pseudonym."**

Sam opened her compowder as she asked. "Which name are you planning to use?" Alex and Clover followed her action and waited for the name.

**"Ryuuzaki."**

* * *

_L's bedroom - 4:30 am._

Through his investigation of their files, L found that it trailed back to their pre-spy days. He found nothing to specify any ties to anybody wishing to find out his real name. Their parents came out clean of any criminal records. In fact, their posh life in Beverly Hills contrasted with the dangerous spy life they lived. No one suspected oblivious young women of stopping crime fighters. A perfect cover for anyone trying to uncover their identities in real life. He wouldn't have believed it himself until he read their papers.

His light interactions with women might work against him. From this call, he spotted their vibrant and extroverted personalities. Clover's flirtatious behavior which he found unnecessary. Sam's evident leadership role in the trio. Alex's positive personality which shined through in her speech. He didn't miss their beauty and fashionable clothing. His introverted and odd quirks will clash with them.

He bit his thumb.

Having all three of them shadow him might bring questions to the task force. Their stunning looks and talkative nature contrasted to his...reserved nature. In comparison to himself, Light possessed all the attributes to have known these girls. This poked holes in his made up story of having met them on his own accord. Of course, he worked in Los Angeles before he agreed on the Kira case. His successful investigation was common knowledge.

From what he caught on his high tech speakers, Sam whispered some of his cases to Alex and Clover. They knew of his work, making their integration easier when they arrived. As well as a brief talk on their covert identities. He picked the most common names in America and their paperwork resided in a file beside his success depended on their initial interaction and how they acted around the task force.

Sam, Alex, and Clover proved their improvising skills through the discreet footage he received. He had nothing to worry about.

Although, these ladies held an assumption on his appearance to a different standard. A _handsome_  detective with a  _deep_  voice. Clover and Alex giggled between each other on the subject. His lips quirked up. He looked forward to bursting their illusions to keep them focused on taking Wammy's place.

He spoke into the microphone. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I have your new names and fake papers at my disposal." They waved with glee and said their goodbyes before he cut the connection.

* * *

_Woohp Headquarters - 11:40 am._

Once they finished their conversation with L, the girls went into a full blown conversation of their own. Planning their trips and looking through their compowders on the best eateries. Adding in their perspectives on the appearance of L. Clover went overboard on hers which made Sam and Alex tilt their heads.

Wammy shut down the laptop and placed it inside of his briefcase.

Sam broke from their conversation when she asked. "Jerr, will we get some gadgets on this mission?"

"Why of course!" His desk turned, revealing the gadgets for their viewing pleasure. "We developed new and improved gadgets you know. After all, you need to speak the language while you are there. Which is why we added some new extra features in the voice alterer choker."

Alex raised her hand. "I totes know Japanese! I took a few levels when I was in middle school and high school. I'm a little rusty but I can speak it real well.  _Hello, my name is Alex. Pleasure to meet you!_ "

Wammy nodded in amazement. "That's impressive, Alex. There is an accent when you speak but it's hardly noticeable."

Alex's face warmed up. After not using Japanese for other than talking to the sushi chefs in Beverly Hills, she wondered about her accent. Their last missions to Japan didn't require her to use the language.

Jerry continued on as he showed the choker. "In any case, now the voice alterer will translate any language into English. I programmed it to only translate Japanese for your extended stay. Although, you can change the language with the button on the furthest right. You have to press the furthest jewel on your left for your voice to speak Japanese." He tossed it over to Clover who caught it with ease.

Clover hooked it around her neck. "I will so need this when I go shopping! I have to understand what the employees tell me after all."

Sam said. "I can always carry a dictionary and study on our way there. Alex can translate for us in the meantime."

Alex did the peace sign with a grin. "No problemo!"

Jerry showed more gadgets. "The butterfly barrette bomb, the laser lipstick, the Heat Sensor 6000 Infrared Motion Detector Sunglasses..." Any other gadgets were placed in their jetpack backpacks. He tossed them all toward the trio and they grasped the backpacks in time. "I suggest packing a weeks worth of clothing. You have a long flight to catch after all."

Clover arched a brow when she wagged her manicured finger. "I thought this was an important mission. We can't take commercial flights to Japan! The fastest flight from LAX is 10 hours! I don't think I can pack what I need in time for the next flight."

"Who said anything about commercial flights?" Jerry pressed a different button on his desk which collapsed the sofa into the floor. "Ta ta girls." He waved at them.

"Jerry!" They screeched as they fell through the ground.

Jerry laughed. "Aren't they just entertaining Quillsh?"

Wammy agreed with him. "They are exactly as you described Jerry. Let's hope L doesn't run them ragged with his requests."

* * *

_Above the Kantō region in Japan - 8:46 am._

Sam, Alex, and Clover bounced in their seats inside of Woohp's quick private jet. Excitement clear on their faces as they changed their clothes using their compowders. They lacked no surprise when they saw their suitcases on their flight. Woohp had no sense of privacy for anyone, not even their own agents. Having gotten used to the treatment, the benefits outweighed their breach of privacy.

Clover checked the contents of her suitcase for her necessities. She found her makeup kit and appropriate shoes for the week. She predicted they would end up walking to a lot of places. Although, their jetpack backpacks would provide some leverage for them.

Clover squealed. "Good thing they brought what I needed! These are the clothes I thought of bringing along with me! The agents are getting better at picking trendy clothes. The new agents must be fashion forward." Picking up her makeup kit, she touched up her makeup while fixing up her wayward blond hair.

Sam fast read through the dictionary in her hands. She cringed when reviewing what she studied. "I can say these words right but the kanji is giving me a lot of trouble! We might end up having to read the signs when we get there. Alex, what does this one mean?" She showed the dictionary to Alex, the tan girl gave her the answer. Sam groaned. "It was so obvious!"

"It's okay Sammy, everyone has trouble learning this aspect when learning Japanese." Alex assured Sam. "I just have an easier time with languages. That's what my teacher told me when I was in her class."

Clover said nonchalantly. "The chokers will help us blend in Sammy, don't worry about looking through that thing. "

Alex told them. "It's better to practice! Who knows when you two will take those off. It's not like all your outfits will match it well Clover."

Clover gasped as she searched through her suitcase. "You're right! Sam! Practice with me!" Clover pointed to each word which helped her for when they wandered through Tokyo. "Okay what is the word for shopping?"

The alarm went off in the plane which signaled their close proximity to L's location. Activating their cloaking device in their compact, their catsuits appeared on their bodies. They secured their jetpacks on their backs and their suitcases to remain sealed with a lock. With their impending drop, they didn't want to lose any of their possessions. Then again, they could always buy more on their free time.

Sam opened her compact and a hologram of the building underneath them showed up. "Okay...so L-Ryuuzaki's headquarters is right under us. There is a circular flat surface on top of the building. From what I can see, it's housing a jet or two. Which means, there should be a door near the vicinity. This might be our ticket inside of the building if we want to give him a surprise. Wammy did warn us the security system is top notch. We can prove to L that our spy skills are not a joke."

Clover pumped her first with determination. "That's right! Besides, we haven't broken into a building in such a long time. This will be a great test for all of us. Especially since we are lugging so much of our stuff with us. I'm so excited just thinking about it."

Alex checked outside the window and jumped on the balls of her feet. "Alright girls, I think we can open the door and jump. We have a clear line to make it onto the surface." She gripped her suitcase. "Clover, is your suitcase heavy?"

Clover huffed. "I have carried heavier bags after a shopping spree, this is nothing." She dragged her larger suitcase near the door as Sam yanked the door open.

The oncoming wind made them take a step back but they regained their momentum. Without another word, they jumped down and Woohp's jet sped away from their location.

* * *

_L's floor - 8:50 am._

L gulped down his parfait while checking the time on the wall. Woohp gave him a approximation on the spies arrival to the building. The time from Woohp to Tokyo shouldn't have taken long with a fast jet. He drummed his fingers on his desk. Either Woohp's jets were slow or the girls procrastinated on arriving. He decided on the latter. Their lifestyle and clothing told him they loved going shopping. Nothing wrong with that, he enjoyed looking through a bakery for the latest pastry.

In between the sounds of his computers, he heard the lock click from one of his doors. The rolling of wheels and clicking of heels echoed through the vast space. Getting up on his feet, he shuffled away from his station and went toward the main room. The sounds of their amazed screams reached his ears. He rubbed his ear and sighed. Of course, their reactions to his living arrangements wasn't a big surprise.

They triggered none of the security systems throughout the floors. After Wedy infiltrated their headquarters with ease, Watari added more to the security systems. From the size of their luggage, he thought they would slip and bring out the alarm. The alarms on the windows and doors were left active before Watari departed. The old man wanted to give one last test to the spies to secure their capabilities. Any seasoned spy flowed through secured places without problems. They succeeded.

He stopped near the entrance. Observing them in silence as they checked the furniture and high tech monitors. Their luggage remained in the middle of the room. Undisturbed. Descriptions of awe reached his ears. He never voiced such exclamations unless it pertained to a new creation of a pastry Wammy found for him. His voice changed a tad bit but never went to a high octave.

Besides, each room or suite he resided in looked the same to him. Different colors or furniture was outside his spectrum. His interest in interior design never caught his eye for design. Functionality and security was his top priority.

His monotone voice broke through their voiced observations. "Is it to your liking?"

All three of them turned in surprise, sheepish that they lowered their guard. Their eyes widened the moment they took notice of the young man. In their mind, they thought L was an older man. A long list of completed cases brought on the assumption of a man in their 40's. Suave and sophisticated. Wisdom showing through the lines on his face. Then again, people thought super accomplished spies were older agents and not young ladies who went to university.

The man in front of them was a far cry from the image they formed in their heads. His black hair stuck in all directions and the bags under his eyes matched a raccoon. Better yet, a panda bear. He wore a long white long sleeve shirt, jeans, and wore no shoes.

Their image shattered before their eyes.

The girls huddled up. All L saw were their backs and perfectly tended hair.

Clover whispered in distress, "Are we sure he's that famous detective? He's so not what I imagined he would look like! Why didn't that Wammy guy tell us?"

Sam added in. "He looks like he has never slept a day in his life. Look at the bags under his eyes. Unless, he has a major love for full on black eye shadow, I don't think that's the case."

Alex said. "He totally needs a haircut! The bed head look was so three seasons ago. Then again, it looks soft from what I saw and it sort of suits him. I haven't looked in Japanese fashion to know if that's the current fashion here."

"I called him handsome! No wonder he told me not to say anymore." Clover peeked over her shoulder and caught L sucking on a lolly. "In a way, he does look kind of cute." She turned back to Sam and Alex. "Who knew detective work was harsher on the complexion than spy work. We got the good end of the deal."

L interrupted them. "I'm sure you all have achieved your fill in criticizing my appearance." They looked embarrassed when they faced him. "I have your new identifications and names on the envelope on this table." He motioned to the manila envelope. "The contents include fake California driver's licenses, passports, and visas. One for each one of you." He sat in a chair in his usual crouched position. "I suggest reviewing everything before we start on your cover stories."

They all apologized before they sat on a three seater sofa and tore through the envelope. Each one took the items with their photos on them. To their astonishment, the details in the fake papers was perfect. Jerry gave them fake papers on certain missions but it was just for a quick glance. They could get away with the ones in their hands.

Clover grimaced. "Cassie?! Couldn't you have chosen a better name than this!"

Sam smiled. "I love mine. Sandra sounds like a nice name."

"Same here!" Alex boasted. "Reminds me of my Aunt Angela from my mother's side of the family. She always made the best gluten free cinnamon cookies. My mouth is watering just thinking about it."

L ignored the talk of cookies and concentrated on Clover. "I chose from the most common names in America."

Clover crossed her arms over her front. "I bet you picked at random just to annoy us."

"Yes." L stated with a tilt of his head. "How did you guess?"

"I was just kidding!" Clover gasped. "Isn't there a way to change this? Not to offend people who are named Cassie but I want a cuter name."

"No." L faced away from Clover and changed topics. "If the task force asks information, inform them that we met in a sweets shop in Beverly Hills. I worked in Los Angeles for a brief time, making this story plausible."

Sam asked him. "There are plenty of bakeries scattered in Beverly Hills. Which one should we choose? We might get mixed up on the details without settling on one."

"They won't ask for further details."

Alex shook her head and exclaimed. "No way. When someone tells me about a yummy bakery I want to know all the details! "

Clover agreed. "It's like someone telling me about some new designer boots and withholding the store name! That's just rude! We have to detail everything so no one thinks we are not best buddies."

"Buddies?" L inquired.

Sam hit her palm with her fist. "I got it! We can say we meet at 'The Grove'. Beyond the bookstore, there's a large sweets bakery at the far end. The main feature is a spinning display in the middle where you can get as many cakes as you want. The plates automatically charge them in your total before you make it to the register!"

"That's right!"

"How could I forgot about that place?! They make the best low fat pastries and still taste delicious."

"I know! Their triple espresso whip mocha lattes are amazing."

L pressed his thumb to his lips. "There is such a bakery in Beverly Hills? Watari never mentioned it to me while we resided in Los Angeles. I'll make a mental note to inform him when he returns."

"Watari?"

L curled his toes. "Wammy's alias. Never reveal your real name here in Japan. At this point in time, it is not safe to do so in public. When referring about Wammy, call him Watari. I'm assuming America knows about the Kira case? In recent months, it flourished through the internet forums and TVs around the world."

Clover shivered. "Don't remind me. Mali U posted the news all over the campus. You can't escape anyone talking about it. My last date was a total flunk, he wouldn't stop talking about Kira. Talk about a mood killer."

Sam sighed. "Our missions have slowed down since Kira came into the picture. Villains don't want an early death because of this person. The fact we got this one is a change of pace."

Alex noticed a cart full of pastries. "Is that cheesecake!" She hopped on her feet and hurried to the source. "Thank you Ryuuzaki. You're such a wonderful host! Do we get free food here or do we have to shop for our own? Clover look there are poppy seed muffins!"

"Ooooh!" Clover clasped her hands together and went to Alex's side.

L held up a hand in quiet despair and muttered. "That's my cheesecake..."

Sam shook her head, turning to L, she gulped. "We know you're working on solving the Kira case. There's no big case here in Japan that rivals Kira's. Everyone knows about your symbol and the power it holds. What I'm trying to ask is...are you...close to solving it?"

L licked his lolly. Staring into Sam's eyes, not saying a word to her. Her form showed a growing awkwardness due to his glance. Her eyes went toward Clover and Alex before she looked at him. She twiddled with her hands and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. His mind wandered in regards to her inquiry.

He despised to admit on his shortcomings. Wammy noticed it but chose not to comment on it. Instead, Wammy operated at a faster rate to lessen a stressful work environment. The clean space didn't clutter his mental calculations. His list of suspects narrowed down to one individual: Light Yagami. His lack of evidence worked against him. The task force kept onto their belief on Light's innocence and tossed aside his explanations.

This frustrated him. He understood that holding onto such an emotion solved nothing. Stumbling on dead ends didn't stop him from solving cases. In fact, it provided a challenge for him to defeat. He always found evidence in the oddest places.

"It depends." L popped the lolly in his mouth.

"On what?" Sam tilted his head. "Do you think Kira will slip up? In America, we heard no new information on the capture of Kira. Although, the internet forums have said there are more than one. There is no way that's possible. Right?"

"In recent weeks, we found a man who we discovered used the same methods of killing as Kira. From what we uncovered, he's not the original Kira. The names didn't correlate with the murders throughout all these months."

Sam flinched. "Another Kira? So...it's true..."

L crunched up his candy, he continued on talking. "Possibly two."

Sam frowned. "That's not making me feel better. This is more distressing than I expected, I thought it was just some crazed baddie. This is too complicated."

Ignoring her concerns, L motioned to the pastry cart getting eaten away. "I suggest going to eat a snack with your friends before settling into your rooms. I took the liberty on assigning a floor all to yourselves. No one will disturb you there."

Sam declined his offer. "No, thank you. I'd rather learn more about our backstories. I'll relay the information to the girls when we put our suitcases away. They're too busy eating to any attention. Also, you are going to answer all the questions I have."

"I might not answer them." L dropped the stick onto an empty plate, he unwrapped another lolly and stuck it in his mouth. "You might not react favorably and let your emotions guide your actions."

"We have completed dangerous missions since Woohp selected us at fourteen. Trust me, nothing surprises us anymore." L gave her a blank stare. "Alright, alright, we still get those missions where the person uses unorthodox methods but we take our job seriously. I might not understand Kira's killing methods, you haven't explained it in detail and I predict you will keep it from us..."

"You'll find out soon enough." L sighed. "You can't remain Watari's place without that information. The contracts prevent you from speaking of the secrets kept in this building."

"Explain everything." Sam stated.

"As you wish."

* * *

_Clover's room - 10:01 am._

Once they settled into their rooms, they all collected in Clover's room for a girl chat. Clover finished organizing her clothes for the week in the closet. Alex stared outside the window and took pictures with her compact for memories sake. Sam winced at the long list L handed to her before he left to his work. The hopes of checking out the local hot spots dwindled with each new addition to the list. She wondered how Wammy managed everything without breaking a sweat. Who knew a detective needed so much done in one day?

Between the three of them, no problems would arise in completing it. Distributing the chores on certain days might work to their favor. L assured free hours for them to explore the nearby cities on their own.

Clover fell back on her plush soft bed in a fit of giggles. "We should take more bodyguard jobs more often. These perks are amazing!" She rolled onto her stomach and asked Sam. "Did he give you a list of what we have to do?" Sam handed her the typed up list of Wammy's day to day life. "Thanks Sammy!" Clover moved her legs back and forth while she read the list.

Alex closed her compowder. "Your view is a ton better than mine Clover. You can see one of the many malls from here. Maybe Ryuuzaki won't need us here and we can go check it out."

Clover gripped the paper enough where it trembled. "I can't believe this! There is no way that old man can do all this in one day! He's  _way_  older than Jerr! Is Ryuuzaki messing with us?! Sam did you read this list!"

Sam nodded her head. "I did. I almost didn't believe it but we agreed on doing everything Ryuuzaki told us. We promised to complete this mission, remember?"

"Ugh!" Clover flailed around. "We won't have time to check out the boutiques. When we finish, it will be way past closing time. What rotten luck!"

Alex took the list from Clover's hand and perked up. "No worries girls. This won't be too much of a problem. We have done multiple missions in one day and we look fabulous doing it. Think of this as another form of exercise! We are missing a week of aerobic Pilates."

Sam smiled. "My thoughts exactly. We can split everything between the three of us. We'll all have a chance to check out what we want to see. This week will fly on by without a problem."

Alex turned to Sam in shock. "What happened to the earlier major freak out over missing an assignment? What's with the sudden change Sammy?"

"Jerry manages to cover us while we are on our missions. We have nothing to worry about." Sam fanned her face with her hand. "It helps that I finished my assignments weeks in advance."

Clover smirked. "Let's stop talking about school. We need to plan a revenge scheme against Ryuuzaki. I was thinking we can order take out to bring up here to our floor. I'm sure the cost will be covered." She opened her compowder and searched through the list of nearby restaurants. "How about ordering the most expensive dish and whatever drinks they have on stock?"

Alex picked up the phone from the receiver and waited for the dial tone. "I'll make the call, I have to practice my Japanese. Do you think they have freshly squeezed juice?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "This is a metropolitan area, the restaurants always have fancy drinks on their menu." She grinned. "Ask about any sushi platters."

"That's the spirit Sam!" Clover pumped her fist.

* * *

The girls giggles boomed from the speakers.

L turned away from his laptop and stared at the monitors. Of course, he didn't inform the girls on his habit of planting cameras in all his rooms. No one reacted well when they figured out about the cameras. Their screams over the list made him reconsider telling them the truth. They'll figure it out on their own. As top tier spies, they inspected their surroundings in each room. The gadgets they wore on their person served to help them. Through a small margin, their paranoia surpassed his own.

He scooted closer to the screen when he noticed their sudden comfort level. They sprawled all over the bed and read off the menu from what seemed like a regular compact for makeup. Clover and Sam's atrocious accents was common for one studying a new language. Alex guided them along. Her level of proficiency almost breached the fluent mark.

Moving the lolly in his mouth, he made a mental note to inspect the tapes. Their disregard to his cameras turned up his suspicion level. Either they inspected his room on arrival or behaved rambunctious on purpose.

Once they went silent, he saw the morbid expressions on Clover and Alex's face. Sam informed them on the method Kira killed those criminals. Their denial burst through the speakers, not wanting to believe a notebook caused such a catastrophic outcome. This lasted a small amount of time. Both of them believed Sam without question and broke the tense atmosphere through recollecting their old missions.

A way to quell their terror perhaps?

The chances of them bombarding him with questions lessened. They knew the truth about the death note. This made their transition easier and without problems.

* * *

_Main room - 12:34 pm_

L sat near the girls as they ate their hearty meal. The coffee table was filled with different dishes and drinks. They stirred no hunger pains from them. Having eaten a package of cupcakes, he felt no quiver in his stomach. Before the food arrived, he informed Sam on bringing in the cart herself. No one entered his building without his permission. This included the workers who brought in any food. Before Sam went toward the first floor, he went into Watari's security room and disarmed the door to open. Giving Sam a chance to pay the delivery person and shut it closed. Afterwards, the alarms went right back up.

He settled in one of the comfiest chairs with a new slice of cake. He watched their overall movements as they got comfortable in their own seats. Each one scooped up a plate they personally ordered and snapped the chopsticks before digging in. The main platter remained untouched in the middle of the table. All remained careful in making sure they dropped nothing on the floor.

Clover sent him smug smiles. He responded with taking a bite of his cake. With his vast supply of money, this jab didn't affect him. The cameras gave him an insight of how much they ordered and he calculated the cost. Paling in comparison to his usual daily bill.

Alex wiggled in her seat. "This salmon donburi is just devine! I never knew fresh salmon tasted different in another country."

Sam rubbed her hands, "This didn't cost much right? I kind of feel bad in ordering some of these platters. The restaurant didn't give us a total when Alex finished her call."

Clover answered before L opened his mouth. "C'mon Sammy, the guy is loaded. He can afford to feed the three of us. Besides, this isn't too much food. Did you look at the amount of junk food he has in this place?"

L informed Sam. "In comparison to my own food bill, the total cost of this meal doesn't compare. No need to worry." Sam relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

"See! Told you Sam!" Clover sipped her iced tea. "Is there anything else we need to know?" L turned to her. "It's obvious you are investigating Kira. This information is common knowledge in Beverly Hills. Are we supposed to know deep information about this case?"

L poked at his cake. "Keeping you all ignorant isn't to our best interest. You're shadowing me in front of the task force and they will question you at any time. Watari stood in plenty of meetings to understand the inner workings of the case. Additions to our cover story are due. I'm sure you have great improvisation through your many missions of espionage. Act natural but keep details to a minimum."

Clover grinned. "Don't you worry, I'm an excellent actress." She winked at L. "I have starred in plenty of plays back in Bev High and the reviews were amazing."

Alex said. "It's not like we can say we are FBI agents. No one would believe us!" Alex opened her compowder and poked at her face. "I'm the youngest one out of the three of us. I can't get away with it."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, a fresh face works against us. In most of our missions, no one believes we can help due to our looks."

Clover harrumphed. "They should be grateful that three gorgeous looking women are taking time out of their day to help. In any case, we'll figure something out."

L pressed his thumb to his lips. "Do you have a gadget to alter your appearance?"

Sam brightened up. "Yes, our compowders recently got upgraded to modify our faces in the costume section. It stays on until we cancel it. Why?"

L informed them. "Kira needs a face and a name to kill. The second Kira only needs a face." Their faces expressed their new found fear. "For your own safety, you need to change your faces. If your names are revealed, nothing can happen with a different face. That's a deduction I predict will help you."

Sam opened her compowder and checked the database. "We can customize our own faces on this program! I just want to change certain details so I'm not too shocked when I check the mirror for my makeup."

Clover grinned. "I can make my face twice as fabulous! I can even add natural contouring!"

Alex commented. "We don't have to wear makeup. It comes with the disguise. Which is good, Japan gets really humid this time of year."

Clover shook her head. "There is no way I am going out without makeup. Disguise or no disguise. What if the compowder malfunctions?!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Clover, it's waterproof and it doesn't break like it used to."

"You never know!" Clover turned to L and pointed at him. "You really need a cucumber mint facial mask and tea tree moisturizer. It will reduce those bags under your eyes a great deal."

L shook his head. "No, thank you. I have no need for such frivolous activities. A wasteful way to pass time and I have never applied those products to my face."

Sam, Alex, and Clover stared at him in horror.

Alex piped up. "Y-You have never experienced a facial mask before?!"

Sam said. "Or moisturizer?"

Clover stated. "First things first, you are going to spend time with us at a spa. I'm sure there's one close by where they accept walk-ins."

L stood up and informed them, "You're late in picking up my order of pastries from the bakery right across the street."

Sam took out the folded paper from her pocket and checked the time. "He's right! Let's go girls!" They stood up and hurried out the door, leaving L breathing a sigh of relief.

TBC


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Due to L's insistence, Watari takes a week off after a big break in the case. To cover his charge, he goes to his old friend Jerry Lewis to find his best agents to overshadow L. Once Sam, Alex, and Clover step foot onto Japan, their names and faces are changed to protect them from Kira's gaze. Their week with L turns into the most interesting time of their lives.

_Sam, Alex, and Clover's floor - 8:10 am._

Clover poured out a fresh cup of coffee into the fancy cups from the kitchen cabinet. Afterwards, she placed creamer and a bowl of sugar cubes onto the tray. Wammy left them instructions on L's preferred preparation of coffee and the hint of cinnamon added to the grind coffee beans. All easy in her opinion. Her past employment in the Mali U cafe came in handy for situations when they made their own coffee. She wished they bought an espresso machine for their penthouse. This meant less lines and mental annoyance during the usual morning rush for caffeine.

She checked her reflection in her compowder, blowing kisses and touched up her lip gloss. Another face stared back at her. She shut it closed after she finished primping. Her makeup and hair remained on point. Well, the new face she picked out looked perfect. Alex and Sam settled on changes which affected the overall structure of their faces. Both wanted to recognize themselves underneath all the changes when they passed a mirror. Alex jumped back the moment she saw herself in the bathroom mirror.

L's declaration the day before scared them a bit. They knew the dangers of taking on the mission but the tidbit of another Kira surprised them. The world knew of  _Kira_  but not two  _Kiras_. Reality set in once they digested their new information. To know a power can spread to more than one person brought out their distrust. This caused them to practice calling each other with their new names.

Clover heard a beep from her compowder. she opened it without hesitation. Alex's face appeared. "Hey Angela!" Clover flinched, she still wasn't used to saying these new names. "Did you finish your morning yoga?"

**"All done! I'm feeling a lot more refreshed than yesterday. Anyway, Sandra is taking a quick shower before we have breakfast. Do you think we should order out breakfast?"**

"We might as well, all I can see in here is coffee and tea. One of us should go shopping around lunchtime. I'm not about to eat myself into a sugar coma because Ryuuzaki's floor is the only one with food." Clover flipped her hair back. "I'm almost afraid of asking Ryuuzaki about all this candy. That's so not healthy. He's so much older than us and should know better."

Alex shrugged her shoulders.  **"I don't mind! I love candy!"**

"Whatever, see you in the main room. Goodbye Angela!" Clover cut off their connection.

She inspected the cart and checked the list. L required a whole strawberry cake. She shuddered at imagining L eating the whole thing. To find out he ate a whole cart of sweets made her stomach ache. It reminded her of a family birthday party where she gorged herself with cupcakes. Resulting in a stomach ache which kept her out of school. Her mother scolded her but stayed home to tend to her. Giving her ginger ale and crackers.

She might add ginger ale to their list before they went shopping. L was bound to get ill during their stay.

Adding plates onto the cart, Clover checked off the last thing on the list. The new boxes of pastries remained untouched in L's fridge. She had a feeling Ryuuzaki would demand more when he finished his coffee.

Gripping the handles of the cart, she pushed it out of the kitchen and went straight to the elevator. Pressing the button, she tapped her foot while waiting for the elevator to arrive. When it opened, she entered inside and pressed the button for L's floor. Once she made it, she exited the elevator and heard L's voice in the distance.

Clover hurried toward the sounds of his voice as she exclaimed. "I have your coffee for you. Don't try to hide from me!" Her eyes widened at seeing unknown men sitting in front of her. They all turned to her in utter confusion. "Umm...hi?" She waved at them with a nervous chuckle. The urge to throttle L grew with each second that passed.

Matsuda turned to Chief Yagami.  _"Who is she? Have you met her before?"_

_"No I haven't. I'm curious, no one outside of us can enter inside of the building."_

Clover pressed her fingers onto the button on her choker. Understanding their comments to each other, thinking she just knew English. She forgot to activate it before she entered the elevator. Although, she didn't know about these extra people occupying the space.

A new set of footsteps caught the men's attention and saw another girl running toward them.

Alex stared at them in confusion as she stopped right beside Clover. Without hesitating, she bowed. " _It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Angela. You can call me Angie."_  She motioned to Clover.  _"This is Cassie. Sandra is currently getting ready in her room. We are Ryuuzaki's friends from California."_  She ended with a huge smile on her face.

Clover gritted her teeth. "He's lucky I changed from my pjs or he would get a stern talking to. Where is he anyway?"

L peeked from his large rolling chair. "Ah, Cassie, Angela, you both arrived just in time. I calculate Sandra will arrive in five minutes." Clover glared at him. "I forgot to inform you that the task force returned this morning. My apologies."

"Yeah right. You could've warned us first! What if we were in our pajamas?" Clover snapped.

Ryuuzaki told her. "No big deal. I saw your clothing yesterday, your pajamas are the same quality. Unless, you have embarrassing pajamas no one should see."

Clover's face went red with indignation, before she answered again, Matsuda spoke up.  _"Wow Ryuuzaki! I didn't know you had such beautiful friends! How long are they planning to stay here for? Will they help us on the case?"_

In the background, the rest of the task force watched the interactions with disbelief. They shared looks of surprise between each other. Not to think of ill of Ryuuzaki but the odds of him keeping a friendship was slim. His lack of social skills made this story unbelievable. Although, Cassie's quick retorts and comfortable level told them otherwise.

Clover winked at him,  _"Not looking too bad yourself, handsome."_ Matsuda blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. Clover sauntered off to him and started their own conversation.  _"So...how long have you been in the task force?"_

Sam walked out in time to catch Clover walking toward an unknown man. Clover had a flirtatious smile on her face and spoke to the man. He soaked up all her attention as Clover sat on the arm rest. Leave it to Clover to find a cute guy to start talking to before everyone else.

L waved at her, she gave him a hesitant smile. She leaned close to Alex and muttered into her ear. "I'm confused. What's going on?"

Alex responded. "We didn't get the memo that these guys were coming back today." Sam sighed. "Then again, we shouldn't be too surprised. They are in the middle of solving their big case."

Sam fiddled with her choker. "I understand but the list said nothing about them returning today. Good thing Cassie put enough cups on the tray for everyone. We don't want to be rude and not offer anything."

Chief Yagami broke out of his stupor and voiced his opinion. _"Ryuuzaki, is it a good idea to have these girls listen into our meetings? They might slip and tell someone vital evidence."_

Aizawa showed his displeasure with a grimace. _"Yeah, they'll be a distraction for the rest of us. It's not like they will be much help._ _We have more than enough with Misa coming along and interrupting us."_

Ryuuzaki shook his head, he glanced at all the girls to find signs of anger. He saw their reactions forming on their faces. " _I disagree. Light helps us in our meetings and has given a great insight in uncovering new leads. Remember, Light and Misa helped uncover Higuchi's plans. What makes Sandra, Angela, and Cassie's presence any different?"_

Sam crossed her arms and frowned. " _Is it because you are in the assumption we are young and don't have any experience in solving crime? Despite what you may think, we have more than enough experience to help. We have worked with various individuals who can back up our credibility. We deserve to be here just as much as this Light and Misa."_

Her stern voice turned the task force rigid. Snapping their heads toward her, they noticed her no nonsense expression. When they checked the other two, the happy-go-lucky faces disappeared. Leaving behind frowns on their faces.

Alex added in. "W _e are here to shadow Ryuuzaki as a favor for him. Watari is conducting personal business and Ryuuzaki picked us to stay here. Whatever complaints you have, keep them to yourself."_ She motioned to L.  _"Or tell them to Ryuuzaki."_

Clover cheered inside of her head. She gave Sam and Alex an encouraging secret smile. The fact they were used to people undermining them turned into such an occurrence. The disbelief went away after the first few times. Standing up on her feet, she addressed the investigation team.

Clover asked.  _"Now, if you guys are done criticizing us. Do you want coffee or tea? Because I'm not going to go back into the kitchen multiple times to grab anymore stuff. We are only here for Ryuuzaki after all."_

The confidence which came from spy work came through in their posture. They didn't have to raise their voices to prove their point. The scattered apologies dissuaded the girls a bit but not enough for their irritation to leave their bodies.

Impressed with how they handled themselves, L continued on. " _Sandra, Angela, Cassie, thank you for giving your input. Since the disagreements are now solved, let's return to work. We have wasted more than enough time."_

* * *

Chief Yagami observed the girls from his seat as he accepted Cassie's offer for coffee. Her carefree smile reminded him of Sayu. In fact, all the girls reminded him of Sayu in some form. In a way, the belief in their experiences didn't calculate in his mind. Without them describing one of their so called cases, he though it as a bluff. He hated to admit he judged them from an appearance standpoint. Once they took charge of the room, he took back his observations and opinions.

L brought in no one who didn't serve to help in the case. Wedy and Aiber helped them uncover evidence for their disposal. Their professions brought out his distrust in them. In the end, they did their job and left them to their own devices. Earlier, L brought up a good point. Light and Misa frequented this building. These new guests had the right to wander as they pleased.

Holding the coffee in his hands, he thanked Cassie and then added some sugar before mixing it up. He wondered about the girls parents instead. Did they know their daughters traveled across the globe? Any respectable parent kept tabs on their children.

He might ask them at a respectable time.

Sam walked toward L and informed him. "I'm going to check the cameras and spikes in the alarm systems for a few hours. Call me if you need anything." L nodded his head and turned to her. "I know where the room is located and the code Watari used. I didn't write the code on paper or on my _phone_. No need to remind me."

"Very well." L watched her leave before turning back to his monitors, he clicked onto the cameras which followed her journey to the security room. Once she made it inside, he clicked out of it.

Chief Yagami sipped away while he caught Cassie slam Aizawa's coffee in front of him. Causing some of the liquid to spill onto the table. She offered no smiles nor spoke a word to them. No surprise there. His comments brought on the girl's ire.

Matsuda and Mogi were served with a charming smile and compliments. Enraptured in the girl's kind words, Matsuda fumbled to pick up his coffee. Some of the coffee spilled onto his slacks. The sudden spike of scalding liquid made him yelp and jump. Mogi drank his coffee, the indication of his amusement showed on the crinkled on the corners of his eyes. Cassie offered Matsuda a napkin with a chuckle. Chief Yagami shook his head, taking more sips of coffee.

Once they picked up their pace, silence scattered through the room. The sounds of typing and shuffling papers broke the hushness. Much to Aizawa's relief, the girls bothered none of them. He assumed the trio were copies of Misa but they proved him wrong. The task force focused their work into checking through their files. Clover left the floor after L spoke with her and went onto her own business. The one who remained behind was Alex. L encouraged her to inspect their files on the computers. Better than leaving her to grow bored.

Alex found the task easy. She went through the files with lightning speed. Her knowledge in the language helped. She masked her disgust at some of the photos which surfaced while reading up to the current point of their findings. In some instances, she noticed some discrepancies in their files. She called onto L and pointed out the mistakes, he nodded before he went back to his own task.

Despite the goofy disposition L caught yesterday, Alex's professionalism showed in her commentary. She read deep into the evidence. Motioning him closer to ask him questions. Sam and Clover jumped into Watari's usual schedule. No complaints in front of the other men but he heard their comments before they slept.

Woohp selected nothing but the best agents. Training individuals to think outside the box and solve cases in an orderly fashion. From what Watari informed him, they either gathered the agents in groups or remained alone. The girls spoke high of their boss, Jerry, or Jerr as the girls nicknamed him. He heard through the hidden microphones as they settled in their floor. A good portion was spent complaining about his intrusive behavior in their privacy. Although, he heard the affection through their voices.

Matsuda piped up after a long bout of silence. " _Hey, Ryuuzaki, are the girls going to touch the notebook? They are going to stay here for the week and should know about the death god wandering around. Misa doesn't come around often and she knows about her."_

 _"There is no_   _point! As you pointed out, they will be gone within a week. Misa's involvement has been nothing but convenience."_

_"B-But-"_

_"We signed a confidentiality agreement. Bound and sealed. No loopholes to give us any reason to break it."_ Alex turned her chair around, she gulped.  _"Whatever is said and done in this building will stay in here. Think of us as walking secret keepers."_

 _"If that is their wish, they can touch it."_ L bit his bottom lip. " _Where is the notebook located?"_

Mogi stood up.  _"I'll collect it and get right back."_

 _"Ah yes, thank you Mogi."_  L caught Alex's weary gaze.  _"Do you still desire to know? You can deny wanting to see it."_

Alex answered with certainty.  _"No, I want to see this so called death god. Where is it anyway?"_

L answered.  _"I'm not sure...I have caught no glimpse of her through the cameras. She tends to stick around her notebook and doesn't wander far."_

_"Oh...so there's no chance she was on our floor?"_

_"No."_ L embellished his lie about the cameras.  _"As I stated before, she sticks with her notebook. When brought around the task force, she appears alongside it."_

Mogi walked toward them with the death note in his hands. At the sight of the notebook, Alex shivered. When he presented it to her, she hesitated in touching it. No description of the shinigami was given to her. Meaning, whatever she saw, might not match the image in her head. Pushing through her thoughts, she reached out her trembling hand. Once her flesh touched the notebook, a figure appeared behind Mogi. Alex's eyes widened.

Gasping, she took a step back and pointed to the pale figure. "T-That's the death god?! Ryuuzaki, how are you able to stay calm?! Not saying she's ugly but I thought beings who lived forever found ways to look young!"

The task force gave her sympathetic looks. Their initial reactions almost matched her own. Although, she spoke a lot more words and now she went on a babbling streak. Her words turning more inconsistent than ever.

 _"Angela, you're speaking English."_  L interrupted her, he stood beside her stiff form.  _"I warned you about the dangers. I'm sure Sandra explained the minute details to you and Cassie."_  Alex nodded her head.  _"Do you need to sit down and have some cake? The chocolate fudge one should do the trick."_

Alex shook her head.  _"No, I just need to lie down."_ Matsuda hurried to her side and helped her sit back down.  _"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to react like that. I've seen some gritty things before but..."_

Rem glared at the young girl walking beside Matsuda. She read the name and lifespan on top of her head. The name L used to address the girl contrasted with the name which appeared before her eyes. This girl would live to a ripe old age if left undisturbed. At the discovery of two more girls, this meant L had some new plan up his sleeve. Another plan to ruin Misa's happiness.

Compelled to spy on these girls, she made it a mission to keep an eye on all three of them. 

* * *

_11:30 am._

Alex's hand twitched at the sound of the compowder beeping in her pocket. She held in a sound of surprise as she stood up on her feet. She laughed while backing out of the room. " _Sorry about that, excuse me. I think it's either Cassie or Sandra."_ She hurried away, running into one of the far bathrooms, she took out her compowder from her pocket she opened it. Revealing Sam's furious face. "Sandra? What's going on?"

 **"Turn your back to the**   **door."** Alex furrowed her brows and turned around. **"Now, wait a sec, Cassie is answering."**  Sam said as Clover connected, splitting the screen in half. Both of them saw the dressing room in the background.  **"You went shopping while picking up the dry cleaning?! I thought we told you that you had the first free afternoon."**

Clover laughed sheepishly.  **"I couldn't help myself. I saw some cute clothes on the way back from the cleaners. Next thing I know, I'm trying on this nice dress which goes well with some pumps I have back home. It fits great by the way. I might buy it on my free time. Anyway, what's going on?"**

 **"There's cameras on our floor!"**  Sam screeched.  **"Each one of our rooms has them and the bathrooms!"**

Alex gasped in mortification. "You mean to tell me, Ryuuzaki saw us getting changed and heard everything we were talking about!" She understood what L meant when he told her the shinigami never entered their floor. He saw their activities through the cameras. "Wait, are you hearing what we are saying in this bathroom?"

**"No, we are safe to continue on talking. To the camera, it looks like you're checking something on your phone. Well, you hid the compact fast enough that it didn't show in the cameras."**

Clover snarled.  **"I can't believe him! I knew there were cameras on the main floors but ours?! What happened to trusting us? We are the ones helping him out here. Not even Jerr put cameras in our penthouse!"**

Sam rubbed the bridge of her nose.  **"We didn't trust our instinct to check our rooms for cameras. That was our first mistake. The focus went to planning out the list between us while changing roles. We can use our compowders to mess with the wiring after we finish everything for the day."**

**"He's going to get a piece of our minds when the day is over. He's not going to get away with this. How dare he not tell us anything?!"**

Alex snapped. "Girls! That's not important! In comparison to what I have to tell you guys, cameras are the least of our problems." Clover and Sam stared at her with worry. "You see...the notebook has a death god. You can only see it when you touch it. No wonder the deaths seemed unreal. Kira doesn't have to lay a hand on anyone. The notebook does the work for him."

Clover scrunched up her face but her fear showed through her voice.  **"Since you can see it, i** **s it close by?"**

"No. The death god called Rem stays with the notebook. Ryuuzaki told me it doesn't wander around too often."

 **"When I get back, I'm going t** **o touch the notebook too. We need to plan out a protection strategy. This bodyguard job has gotten a ton harder than expected. Who knew Watari and Ryuuzaki entered in the middle of such danger?"**

Alex sighed. "I know. From the meeting, Watari seems like such a nice guy. Ryuuzaki seems like a creep sometimes. No offense to him but he stares at people without blinking. It's almost like he stares right through you."

**"I know right? I thought it was because he thought I was pretty but I don't think that's the case. I'm still flattered though."**

Sam's attention went toward the cameras, she kept the line open when she said.  **"Okay, I'm rewinding back to the part where Mogi came back with the notebook. He's showing it to you..."**  In the meantime, Clover changed out of her dress.  **"Oh Angela."**

 **"Wait I missed it, can you show me Sandra? Better yet, send it to me. I can watch it here in the dressing room. The dressing room attendants told me to take as long as I wanted."**  Clover insisted.

A knock on the door caused Alex to yelp. She almost dropped her compact into the toilet but she grabbed it in time. She closed her compact, cutting off her connection with Sam and Clover. Shoving it in her pocket, she turned toward the door, thinking someone might bust inside.

Matsuda inquired.  _"Angela? Is everything alright? You've stayed in there for a long time."_

Alex let out a sigh of relief.  _"I-I'm fine! I'll be right out."_

_"Look, I know the shock is massive but it'll be okay! Trust me, Rem hasn't done anything to us. We're safe. You don't have to fake you are not affected from what you saw."_

Alex noticed the hesitation when Matsuda talked about Rem. She couldn't blame him. A death god who assisted someone in killing others might turn on them at any time. She might have assisted Kira or the second Kira. Rem's the last person Alex gave the benefit of the doubt. Rem knew the names of the people in the building. The moment Sam and Clover touch the notebook, she will know their names as well.

Alex licked her lips. Their changed faces might prove as a last result of their protection.

* * *

_Security room - 1:45 pm_

Sam noticed a new person going up the steps. A young lady wearing a short gothic style dress. The high resolution cameras distinguished the facial features and she checked through the database. She furrowed her brows. Misa Amane. The girl Aizawa commented on early in the day. Her thumbprint and eye recognition gave her access. After the door opened, Misa skipped through the entrance. She stared up at the cameras, waving with enthusiasm. Misa's nonchalance bothered her. Unless, she found a positive outlook in her situation which brought out that smile. She doubted it.

She exhaled. No. She couldn't start investigating these people. Their whole purpose was to stick around and fill in Watari's shoes for a week. Nothing more, nothing less. Throughout the day, she realized her natural spy instinct kicked in. Before they left their rooms, they wore their gadgets on their bodies. Better to have them on than having L or someone else inspecting their luggage. They will bombard them with questions when a barrette explodes in their hands. In any case, their accessories received no questions from anyone who saw them. She mentally thanked Jerry because of his idea on customizing everyday objects as gadgets.

They turned into a physical form of protection. Not that it defended them from the supernatural. She wanted to contact Jerry and hear his input but the contracts prevented her action. Wammy might have told tidbits to Jerry but not to their extent. She might reveal something Jerry knew nothing about. More than anything, she needed to hear a familiar voice from back home.

A simple chat with Misa Amane might soothe the nagging feeling inside of her chest. She had to find the perfect time to invite the girl toward their floor. Maybe, a small get together masked as a small interrogation. After a grocery trip, they'll even cook a meal. Who knows. Her danger level might turn out as high as Mandy. Harsh words but no action taken.

The moment Misa entered the main room, all the men greeted her. Misa preened from the attention. L gave her a half hazard wave of a hand. His focus stayed on the cake in front of him. When her eyes connected with Alex, her posture went rigid. Almost in disbelief in seeing a new face in the task force. She masked it quick with a cute smile. Alex waved at her, walking up to her and introducing herself.

Sam opened her compowder and dialed Clover's number. She drummed her fingers on the desk. When Clover answered, she snickered at Clover's bangs sticking to her forehead. "You know you don't need to run right? I have everything under control at base and Angela is still with the task force."

 **"I want to get this errand over with before it gets late. This guy wears one style of shirt I swear. He needs more variety in his wardrobe. Anyway, I'm right around the corner!"**  Clover huffed as she carried the dry cleaning over her shoulders.  **"Did something else happen?"**

"Misa Amane arrived. You know, the girl they spoke of earlier in the day?" Sam didn't stray her eyes from the monitor. "She's in the middle of talking with Angela. Just to let you know before you run into her."

Clover groaned.  **"Oh c'mon I don't feel like introducing myself again."**  A determined grin formed.  **"Is she still there?"**

"Yeah. She's sitting down and talking with Angela." Sam noticed Aizawa leaving the room and entered one of the elevators. "I don't think she will be a problem. We might end up having dinner with her."

**"Why? You said she isn't a problem."**

"I just have a feeling in my stomach. You'll know when you see her."

 **"Hmm...is Angela keeping her entertained?"**  Clover inquired.  **"I can always sneak in through one of the doors."**

Sam grinned. "Nah, it's fine. She is handling Misa without any problems. You can slow down your speed walking now."

Clover stumbled onto the steps and tossed the clothes right next to her.  **"Good. I need to take a breather. Talk to you later."** Clover hung up the car but Sam still saw her through the cameras.

* * *

Alex greeted Misa the same manner as the task force. The recognition of the men proved to her that Misa came around often. Matsuda clamored on the form fitting dress Misa wore. This earned him a smack on the arm from Soichiro Yagami. She picked up his comment on never flirting with a taken girl. In her eyes, Matsuda just paid the girl a compliment. She saw nothing wrong with it but she didn't voice it. Instead, she offered Misa a seat across from her.

Misa accepted and hopped onto her seat. Her dress still kept her modesty and showed nothing to embarrass the men in the room. Alex sat down after her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her fingers brushed against the barrette on the side of her head.

Misa raised her hand up high and grinned.  _"I'm Misa Amane, it's a pleasure to meet you."_

Alex introduced herself. _"I'm Angela Kent. I heard about you from the guys earlier today. It's great to meet you as well."_  The lackluster attention made Misa's smile falter. " _Did I say something wrong?"_

Misa pressed her lips together.  _"Well...usually people ask for my autograph when I introduce myself. No complaints from me, I mean, I like the attention. I am pretty famous around here. Ever heard of Misa-Misa?"_

Alex stifled a laugh before she explained her reaction. " _I'm sorry but I don't keep up with Japanese idols. I'm more of a Hollywood star kind of gal. My life is back in Beverly Hills after all. I'm used to bumping into stars."_ She met plenty of celebrities through spy work, the starry eyes she used to experience wore off. Unless, it was a cute guy.  _"It happens far too often."_

Matsuda gasped in surprise, he exclaimed as he stood beside the pair. " _Really? You have never heard of Misa-Misa? Her popularity has grown in recent years! She has gotten covers on magazines!"_

Alex shrugged her shoulders.  _"Sorry. Remember, we just arrived here yesterday. We're not caught up on any of the trends around here."_

L chose to ignore them. He dropped another sugar cube into his coffee. Stirring as he checked his monitors. Having sat in the middle of Matsuda and Misa's usual shouting matches, they almost didn't bother him anymore.

Misa's eyebrow twitched. " _Are you sure? I've gained international stardom. Surely, any decent Hollywood news network would talk about me."_

Alex shook her head and noticed a flicker of annoyance in Misa's face. She came up with a fast excuse to diffuse the atmosphere.  _"Maybe...but Cassie would have told me about you. She's the one caught up on everything having to do with stars."_

Misa clasped her hands together and giggled.  _"Ohhh so that's the case! I'm not mad that you don't know me. We can take this time to get to know each other. Then, you can introduce me to your friend!"_

Chief Yagami coughed into his hand. " _Miss Amane, this is a place of work."_  Misa hunched her shoulders, chuckling with a blush on her cheeks.  _"Now, Light will come back tomorrow to receive you. He's not here at the moment. Furthermore, Miss Angela isn't here for socializing."_

 _"He's right."_  L slurped his coffee.  _"Angela is here to work, talking to you will prevent her from doing what she is ordered to do. Which reminds me-"_ L held up an empty plate.  _"I need more cheesecake."_

Alex got up from her seat, earning a whine from Misa. She gave her a reassuring smile as she went toward L. Once she stood next to L, she rolled her eyes and poked L's shoulder. She noticed him flinch from the contact. Keeping this to herself, she collected the plate and tossed her hair back.

 _"Anything else? Should I bring another cart full of candies this time?"_  She drawled while snapping her fingers. L showed no reaction to her actions. Matsuda let out a chuckle.

" _No need."_  L finished his coffee and placed the cup in her hand.  _"I do need more coffee."_

 _"Alright, I'll leave you to be the life of the party."_  Alex snorted as she put the dishes on the empty cart.  _"If you tell any jokes, you better repeat them to me."_  She left toward L's kitchen while whistling a tune.

Misa huffed.  _"You're no fun! The one other girl here and you sent her away!"_ Misa stood up and stalked toward the door.  _"I'm leaving!"_

* * *

_5:30 pm._

Clover slapped L's back as she hurried down the hall. She guffawed at L's rigid posture.  _"Dropped off your laundry! I'm going to go check out the boutiques now! I already told Sandra and Angela! See you later!"_  She winked at Matsuda who went bright red, she loved making boys blush. It meant she had not lost her touch.  _"Bye handsome! Don't hurt yourself now. Bye Aizawa! Bye Mr. Yagami!"_

Matsuda waved with a goofy smile from his seat. He said in a blissful tone. _"Bye Cassie...have_   _fun."_  He started standing up on his feet to follow her until Aizawa yanked him back down onto his butt.  _"What was that for?"_

L reached behind his back and rubbed the spot Clover touched. His flexibility made this possible. Two of the three girls touched him. He thought the disillusion of his appearance would persuade them from attempting any physical contact. One day with them turned that notion around. Watari must not have informed them of his dislike of physical touch to keep him on his toes.

Alex poked his shoulder. Clover touched his back. He calculated Sam's attempt at her own action of touch. A brush of the hand perhaps?

L patted down his shirt and walked away from the task force. He went toward his bedroom. Watari hooked his clothes in the proper areas and placed a new folded pair onto his unused bed. From the list the girls shared between each other, Watari described everything in detail.

Opening the door, he saw his clothes still inside of the plastic wrapping, in the middle of his bed. Padding inside, he checked the piece of paper Watari wrote for his dry cleaning. He picked it up with his thumb and forefinger, the instructions were crossed off but the last bullet.

**\- Ryuuzaki prefers his clothing hung up on wooden hangers. Spray a calming scent before placing them with the rest of the clothes. Lastly, make sure to leave a new change of clothing on the dresser.**

Clearly, Clover did nothing of the sort. In fact, he saw a scuff mark on one of his shirts and a small hole in the plastic wrapping on the bottom. Meaning, she dropped the bundle during her journey through the city. Then again, she might have tripped or it slipped from her grip. Best not to assume before gathering all the facts. A visit to the main camera room was in order.

He saw a drawing on the bottom of the page. A mini Clover with a peace sign. Hearts surrounded the drawing. Underneath the drawing, a sloppy hand written message caught his eye. He cringed at the lackluster penmanship. At best, his own writing was legible.

**\- Promise I will put these up when I come back, but you can also just do it yourself. We'll see if you can do such a simple chore for once. Even my little cousin can hang up his clothes despite his whining. Kisses, Cassie.**

Releasing the paper from his hold, it fluttered down onto the bed. He inspected his clothing through moving it around. He saw another shirt with dirt on the bottom corner. He sighed. Yes, she definitely dropped his clothes on the floor.

* * *

_8:56 pm._

The realization of hearing no distant giggles peaked L's interest. He assumed the girls went straight to Sam's location after tossing his belongings in his room. Upon entering the room with the main monitors, he caught Sam, Alex and Clover checking the tapes. Sam pointed out the monitors which showed the bedrooms. Tapes which showed images from  _their floor_. Preparing himself for their simultaneous complaints, he backed away. His foot slipped on a piece of paper which caused it to skid on the tile floor. He froze.

All three of them snapped their heard toward the door. Their eyes narrowed, jaws clenched, their hands turned into fists. Clover sprinted toward the door and blocked his means of escape. L sighed. Turning half way to have full coverage of their movements, he found no use trying to escape. Best to deal with their concerns before this affected the rest of this week.

"Are there extra microphones and cameras in this room?" Clover gritted her teeth.

"None. The walls are padded to block out noise from leaving this room. We reinforced it during the design and construction per Watari's request." L poked his ear, he watched their hands and their bodies. "Why? Is there a problem?"

"Why didn't you tell us you had cameras in our rooms?" Clover answered. "Don't you know the meaning of privacy? Is this a fetish thing?!"

"You saw us naked and everything." Alex covered her blushing face. "I showered this morning!"

Sam crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the ground. "Was this another test? We broke into this place without breaking a sweat. That should be more than enough to stop any surprise testing."

L tilted his head. "As spies, you should never enter a space without inspecting it first. Wiretaps, cameras, a person hiding under your beds. Isn't that the first rule of espionage?" His lips quirked up. "The task force might have found out your identities because of your carelessness."

Alex pointed at him. "Yeah right! You're the one who checked the cameras last night. There's no way you would let anyone find out our real names."

"Where did you come to that conclusion?" L shuffled over to Watari's chair, pulling it toward his previous spot. He got on it and settled into a crouched position. "I have no obligation to protect any of you."

Sam arched her brow. "How come the other men haven't commented on anything off with us? They accepted us taking over Watari's place and asked no follow up questions."

"Their focus is on the Kira investigation. Any concerns about you three are pushed aside." L pulled a lint from the seat and dropped it on the ground. "Their concerns might surface when they have the time to ask."

Clover pointed out. "They have time to complain about Misa and Light."

Alex smiled. "Misa was really nice. Although, she got kind of mad that I didn't drop on my knees to ask for an autograph. She might come after you to validate she's popular at Beverly Hills."

Clover scoffed. "She has to cut that Mandy attitude or she won't be popular for long."

L cut in. "Aizawa commented on that issue on the day Chief Yagami brought in his son. Nothing too surprising. Light planned on joining the NPA after he finished university."

Alex's eyes widened. "Is that even allowed? He doesn't have a badge or even qualifications. All three of us have identification at Woohp which proves our spy training. Does he even have any? Then again, our moms got certified at Woohp and they are doing their own missions."

"His experience comes from helping his father on old investigations. The rest of the Task Force insisted on bringing him into the group. They vouched for his ability to focus his energy on solving cases. So far, he has not done anything to dismiss his involvement." L fished out a small candy from his pocket and unwrapped it.

Sam leaned back on the desk. "Meaning...he's a permanent staple here until the Kira case is solved. I didn't know he was the Chief's son..that's interesting."

L turned toward Alex as he popped the candy into his mouth. He spoke as he crunched down onto the sweet. "All your mothers have spy training? No information surfaced through the files Watari send me."

Alex ignored the crunching sounds with a laugh. "Well...they take small missions they can do real quick. They still have their professional lives to do and our dads will question why they disappear all of a sudden."

"They are fine with letting you three continue on this espionage life?" L stared at them, interest clear on his face. "From the file, each other has high overprotective tendencies."

Clover answered. "Not at first. They learned to accept this life. After all, we started at a young age and they learned a good portion of our moves. They understand we can't help but help people." Clover exclaimed. "We are so going off track! What about the cameras?"

Sam broke from her thoughts and snapped her head toward L. "Are you going to remove them from our room or not?"

"No." L responded.

"I'm sure Watari never had cameras in his bedroom. We signed a contract to prevent us from revealing anything. That should be more than enough."

"He has my complete trust. You three are strangers to me." L explained. "I haven't come close to unraveling every secret you possess. Disabling your cameras will bring questions. Unless, one of you wants to stay in here all day to cover the other two, then, the cameras will stay on. Everyone on this building has cameras in their rooms. No one is exempt from this rule."

Sam sighed. "You have a point." Her lips formed an innocent smile. "Besides, we don't know a thing about you. We should make one of these days a get to know each other day. The other guys can miss having you around for a few hours. You need a day to relax."

Clover grinned. "A spa day and a fabulous dinner?"

"Exactly."

Alex nodded her head. "How about tomorrow?"

"I relax while I work." L got up from the chair and walked toward the blocked door. "No need to go out your way to take me out of headquarters.'

"I don't believe that whatsoever." Clover tapped her heel. "There's no way anyone is chill while working."

L informed Clover. "To hide dirtied clothing, I suggest placing them inside of the closet. In the back of the other clothing to be precise. Otherwise, the evidence will incriminate you." Clover averted her eyes and laughed nervously. "Explain how that occurred. Did your previous anger about the cameras prompted you to drop them on the ground."

Clover moved out of the way, she answered. "No! I'm not that prone to anger to take it out on other people's stuff. Besides, I was tired when I dropped them. You can always rub stain remover and put them in the wash. No biggie."

"I see." L opened the door. "Next time, don't run around the city without eating any food." Clover furrowed her brow. "The hunger caused your clumsiness."

"Oh really?"

"The moment I entered inside, I heard your mutterings about a late dinner. Your stomach grumbled as well." L walked out the door. "You three are dismissed."

Once the door closed, Alex gasped. "Girls, we forgot to grab groceries so we don't have to order out so often."

Sam tapped her forehead with her palm. "I knew we forgot something. I'll go tomorrow morning. Angela, you can check the cameras tomorrow while Cassie is with the Task Force."

"Whew. I need a break from having to heard them go at it over the Kira investigation." Alex checked her image on her compact. "I'm so digging this new effect. It has not come off even once!"

Clover smacked her lips. "We are ordering food before my stomach eats itself." She looked through her compact. "Are there any vegetarian spots?"

TBC


	3. Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been forever since I updated this fic, but I keep getting sucked into other fandoms. Yeah, sorry about that.
> 
> I have a tip jar at Ko-fi! The link is on my tumblr account: [Lucicelo](https://lucicelo.tumblr.com)
> 
> -Lucicelo

 

_Yagami House - 7:05 am._

Finishing his morning routine, Light inspected himself one last time before he grabbed his book bag and left his room. Hearing the sound of Sayu barreling down the hall, he avoided a collision with her. She sheepishly apologized and bolted down the stairs, earning herself a stern comment from their mother. Shaking his head, he went down at a leisure pace. His classes didn't start for another hour, giving him time to enjoy a stress-free morning.

To his relief, there were no constant calls and text messages from Misa. His phone remained silent the whole morning and he slept another ten minutes. He received no daunting news of L discovering Kira's identity. In addition, no shinigami yammered in his ear.

Nothing popped up to ruin his perfect morning. At least, nothing important enough to warrant a trickle of worry out of him. His plans stayed consistent and in the right path. For the first time in weeks, he admitted to have no onward stress in his life. He might treat himself before he returning home from university and a trip to headquarters.

Turning the corner toward the dining room, he inhaled the delicious food his mother cooked for breakfast. His stomach grumbled from the aroma. He expected to see Sayu in her usual seat, hunched over trying to finish her homework, but he saw his father instead. Newspaper covering his father's face, he recognized the combed back graying hair and dented wedding ring on his left hand.

Surprised to see him at all, he walked up to him, voicing his thoughts.  _"Hey dad, I didn't know you were home."_

Soichiro lowered his newspaper, staring up at Light.  _"I came back to collect a few things before I returned back to work. Your mother insisted that I stay for breakfast."_  He showed his half-eaten plate on the table when he folded his newspaper in half.  _"Are you leaving for your classes soon?"_

Light nodded his head.  _"Yes. I have enough time for leisure so I'm not in a hurry."_

 _"Good, good."_  Soichiro downed his coffee and checked the time on his watch.  _"I should get going."_  Getting up from his seat, he went near the kitchen area and told Sachiko.  _"Thank you for the breakfast. It was delicious as always."_

Sachiko peeked out of the kitchen.  _"Leaving already, dear?"_  Soichiro nodded his head, pressing a kiss on her cheek, he left for the front door. In the corner of her eye, she saw her beloved son. She beamed at the sight of him.  _"Ah, Light. I'll put your breakfast on the table in a little bit. Do you still need a bento for lunch?"_

Light shook his head, giving her one of his usual smiles.  _"No, thank you, mom."_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Yes."_  Light smiled a bit to reassure her before she kept on insisting. His mother tended to overfeed him during his studying nights and it transcended into his entry to university.  _"I might end up having a bite with a classmate during my free time."_

Sachiko smiled.  _"If you're sure,"_ Turning to the kitchen, she saw Sayu trying to take a bag of chips from the snack cabinet. " _Sayu! I have your breakfast on the table, leave the snacks alone!"_

Shaking his head in amusement, Light used this moment to catch up to his dad. He saw him using a shoe horn to slip on his loafers. Good thing his dad tended to linger in the doorway.  _"Dad?"_

 _"Yes, Light?"_ Soichiro adjusted his loafers and straightened himself up on his feet.

Light walked closer to him, asking him in a lowered voice.  _"Will I be needed at headquarters this evening?"_

Soichiro pondered for a moment before responding. " _We're still looking through certain files, but it's good to have another set of eyes to look at the paperwork."_ He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. " _Will this affect your school work?"_

_"Not at all. You know I never miss an assignment."_

_"As it should be. Ah, before I forget, there are new people joining us at headquarters. According to Ryuuzaki, they will remain with us for about a week."_

Light gritted his teeth, masking the fury on his face. L never ceased his attempts at foiling Kira's plans.  **His plans**. " _New people? I thought the need for outside help ceased after the Yotsuba case."_

Soichiro explained. " _You'll meet them this afternoon when you arrive at headquarters. Ryuuzaki informed us that they are placing Watari for the week. Confidentiality agreements keep them from leaking out information."_

_"Ah...did Ryuuzaki's associates have such a contract?"_

_"I'm not sure."_ Soichiro pondered.  _"Regardless,_ _I'll inform your mother that we will be late for dinner. Goodbye, Light."_  Leaning back, he grabbed his sweater from the coat rack and walked out the door.

 _"Bye, dad."_  Light waited until the door closed to show his displeasure.

Contemplating this new sudden development, Light gripped the strap of his messenger bag. He wondered about the identity of these  **new**  people. Complete unknowns. Assuming this secret team came from another one of L's convoluted plans—an assumption coming from the last two individuals —a variety of  **jobs**  popped into his head.

He thought these new people were criminals without scruples and morals. Worthless individuals in the eyes of his ideals. Although, his father didn't voice his concerns about this trio as he did with the last duo. His father made sure to let L know about his thoughts about having less than reputable people on their team. L ignored their concerns and the criminals managed to help them with Yotsuba.

A realization sparked in his mind, his father used a gender neutral form of addressing these new people. Interesting.

Not wanting to think anymore of this issue on an empty stomach, he returned into the dining room and ate his breakfast. Thoughts on the identity of these people still ran through his mind.

* * *

_Task Force Headquarters - 8:00 am._

After finishing her morning pilates, Alex used the stairs in order to jog down toward the main floor. She missed two vital days of running and exercise in order to get used to the rapid change in time zones. Clover managed to wake up, but downed cups of coffee before doing anything for the day. Sam functioned through limited sleep whenever she got into her work ethic. It showed through the dark under eye circles that Sam covered with expertise.

As an active sort of girl, she used any free time on whatever exercise she enjoyed. With this extended mission, she didn't risk getting lost through jogging outside of headquarters. Sure, her grasp of Japanese rose into the fluent bracket, but she divulged into her thoughts in her runs. This made it impossible for her to recognize certain areas unless she's memorized the terrain beforehand.

Noting the last stretch of stairs, she stopped in place when she saw a sign. Reading the information, Alex realized she made it down to the ground floor. She thought the stairs went all the way down to the basement.

Taking a step inside of the main area of the first floor, Alex closed the stairwell door behind her. Jogging in place, Alex wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. The exhilaration from the exercise made the endorphins course throughout her body, brightening up her downtrodden mood. Having not done this for a few days had nagged on her last nerve.

Hearing something through the music in her earbuds, Alex took them off and turned around. To her horror, she saw L, sitting in his usual seat, shirtless. He still wore pants, to her relief, but it didn't lessen her embarrassment. She never thought she'd walk in a room where a man was changing.

"I'm so sorry!" Alex covered her reddening face, she exclaimed as an aftermath. "Why don't you have a shirt on?!"

L turned around, less than embarrassed of his shirtless state. "I dropped my cake on my shirt. I had to remove it." Sighing deep, he stared, forlorn at the smashed cake underneath his shirt. "It's too bad. I enjoyed that strawberry cake."

Avoiding eye contact, Alex stammered out. "T—That's too bad, but you have to put on a new shirt now. Someone might walk in on you at next time. I think the investigative team are coming in soon." She tried not to lose into her curiosity and stare at L's bare chest. From the slight snippet, he appeared leaner than she expected, the guy ate constant sweets after all.

Damn, she wanted to have his high metabolism.

L hummed. "You have a good point." He motioned to Alex. "You may fetch me a shirt from that cabinet in the corner."

"Uh...sure." Alex didn't voice the oddity of L having shirts on every floor, but she kept this to herself. Opening the cabinet, sure enough, there were two sets of pants and shirts. It seemed L made a mess of himself at more than more occasion which prompted this action. Watari prepared for  **everything**. "Where should I put it?"

"Place it?"

Shutting the cabinet closed, Alex went to L's side and laid it on the table in front of him. "Well, I have to get going. I need to finish my run back up the stairs. This counted as my break time."

L pressed his thumb against his bottom lip. "You're forgetting something important."

Alex pinched her ear buds, pausing before she made another step. "I did? What did I forget?"

"You must place the shirt over my head." L deadpanned.

"No way! You put that new shirt on by yourself!" Alex stopped speaking as a realization struck her. Afraid to ask, she began speaking, uncertain if she wanted to know the answer. "Don't tell me... Watari helped you get dressed too?" L's matter of fact expression brought another blush to her cheeks. "No way! You're an adult! Dress yourself!"

L pointed out, unfazed at her scandalous reaction. "You signed a contract to listen to my orders. This is one of the requirements."

"Y-Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to look at you naked!" Alex backed up, she reached behind her back for the handle of the door. "The next time I see you, you better be wearing a shirt!" She opened the door and ran out.

* * *

_8:25 am_

Clover dabbed on her rose water toner while bemoaning having to serve L his sweets for the day. On the first day, they verbally agreed on rotating the roles throughout the week. Depending on their mood, they rock, paper, and scissor for the best option: sitting in the security room. Now, Alex went to the security office, Sam completed Watari's usual errands, and she faced the Task Force. Interchanging every few hours to keep them on their toes. Although, she'd rather go on errands early in the morning than go in and out of the kitchen.

Taking extra time in her face, this portion of her morning routine relaxed her. Massaging her face with cold creams rubbed out the tenseness before it came. The scents lowered her anxiousness. Despite the compowder disguising their faces throughout the day, she didn't stop her extensive beauty regimen. In fact, she doubled on the masks and essential oils in her nightly rituals. She used her new Japanese products as well.

She heard Sam tinkering around in the kitchen area. Hearing the crinkled up bags, Clover's stomach grumbled. Good thing Sam left the building to a nearby convenience store to grab small portions of boxes for breakfast. Sam used the compowder to show them the display and they picked through eye alone. Sam clarified the vegetarian options to her.

Despite not having a regular American breakfast, all of them liked having the experience of another country's food. Living in Beverly Hills, exposed them to a variety of different cuisines. Delicious and sometimes odd tasting food. Paris still held a strong place in their hearts over Japanese food.

All of a sudden the door to their main floor slammed open, causing Clover and Sam to jump from their respective spots.

Alex burst through the threshold, exclaiming. "I saw Ryuuzaki naked!"

Sam almost fell from her seat at the breakfast table, stuttering out in disbelief. "H-How?! When?!"

Clover came out of the bathroom, using her towel to dry her hair. She failed in keeping the image of a naked L from her mind, a dusting of pink hue developed on her cheeks. "I didn't know you were so  **bold**."

"Wait—No—Not all naked.  **Shirtless**. Yeah, that's right. Thank goodness." Alex laid her hand on her chest, trying to control her rapid heartbeat.

Clover squeezed the ends of her hair with a snicker. "Good thing it was you who saw him and not me."

"Clo-Cassie!"

Sam ate another bite of her small breakfast, before taking out her compowder "Question: Can anyone hear us on this floor?"

Clover tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I placed a prerecorded video throughout the feed for this room. No one will notice anything is wrong until I disconnect the wire from the main camera. I also put a signal throughout the microphones, making a disconnecting sound where no one can hear us. Easy peasy."

Tapping into a CCTV camera didn't take much effort with their new and improved compowders. Clover found it exciting at the thought of having done something techy to help them out on their mission.

Alex leaned against the wall in relief. "Good. I don't want to have to check in the camera room and somehow misplace the recordings. Before we go any further, can the sunglasses  **see** Rem?"

Sam and Clover shivered at the mere mention of the death god. An image of the bandaged up death god filtered through their minds.

Sam attempted an answer. "I'm...not sure? I mean the sunglasses see heat signatures and movements. I don't think she has one since Rem is only visible when people touch the notebook. Although," She curled her fingers underneath her chin. "Since we can see her  **now** , we may be able to catch her. It won't hurt to have them on."

Alex ran back to her bed and fished out her sunglasses from the contents of her suitcase. She activated them when she put them on. Observing the area, she saw Sam and Clover's signatures through the walls, but she saw no one else in their floor. "It's empty, guys!" She deactivated them and slipped them on the top of her head.

Clover told her. "I'd slip them on if you hear anything strange."

"No problemo!" Alex returned into the kitchen area and asked Sam. "Why did you ask about the cameras?"

"I know we were not supposed to act as spies, but I got curious about some outside members of the Task Force." Sam typed in her compowder, the images of Light and Misa came to view, she presented the screen to Alex and Clover. "Ryuuzaki has photos of the both of them on his mainframe. A little creepy, but this makes our job so much easier. Before you ask me, he has no photos of any of us—"

Clover interrupted, her eyes targeted on Light's features and perfect coiffed hair. "Oooh! He's a handsome one! I wonder if he has a girlfriend. There's no way a guy like him is single for long."

Recognizing the name, Alex piped up, making Clover pout at the news. "He's Misa's boyfriend. Also, he's Mr. Yagami's son. Mr. Yagami talked to me about their relationship when I asked him. Turns out, Misa is a popular celebrity here and is hiding their relationship from the public. Idols are not supposed to have boyfriends, it depends on the studio."

"Ah, well, it seems weird for a celebrity to be involved in an active case. I'm surprised L let her join, she doesn't have a huge role to play in the force. I'll have to check around the databases." Sam shook her head, turning her attention to Clover, she arched a brow. "Try not to flirt with Light Yagami, we don't need an angry girlfriend coming after us."

Clover harrumphed. "I don't go for guys in relationships, that's just tacky."

Setting the compowder on the table, Sam mused on. "In any case, I thought you were deep into flirt mode with Matsuda. What happened to him? Tired of him already?"

Clover winked at Sam. "Who ever said I was tired of Matsuda? I just love the way he reacts to my comments. I'm surprised someone hasn't snatched him up yet."

Alex chuckled. "The Task Force thinks he's an unreliable sort of a guy."

"How rude!" Clover placed her hands on her hips. "From what I managed to see, he works his hardest to research every detail about this case."

Sam deadpanned. "You keep distracting him."

Clover put her hands on her cheeks, giggling in delight. "He's a great multitasker! It's never a bad thing to lift a man's spirits through giving him attention. It's so adorable to see him appreciate my comments."

* * *

_Flashback_

L predicted Sam and Clover's reaction to Rem as dramatic and pointless. Then again, their overall personalities suggested this outcome from his calculations. Alex gave an introductory example during her meeting with Rem. Almost falling back onto a chair and retreating to a bathroom. Sam and Clover might show a more animated reaction to such a sight.

As he watched Matsuda bring out the notebook, he sucked on a lolly while sitting in a crouched position on his rolling chair. Alex sent him a cursory glance before giving all her attention onto her teammates. She fiddled with her fingers and pursed her lips. An overall picture of nervousness.

Clover arched a brow while glancing down at the notebook in Matsuda's tense hands.  _"I just have to touch this thing right?"_

Matsuda gulped, " _Yes."_

 _"Aw, Matsuda are you worried about me?"_  Clover teased him, cheering in her mind at the blush staining his cheeks. " _Don't you worry. I have seen odder things at my usual job. I can handle anything."_

 _"Don't claim statements that you may not keep, Cassie."_ Sam sighed.

_"Whatever. Let's do this thing!"_

The moment Clover and Sam touched the notebook, the room filled with Clover's exclamations.

 _"No way!"_  Clover screeched.  _"Get this girl a facial mask and moisturizer! This should be a crime! Angela get my beauty bag! I have a deep moisturizer I use for my night routine!"_  She addressed Rem, pitying the death god on her plight. _"Don't you worry! I can help you regain your youthful skin! Well...not to the point of **my**  skin, but we can get close enough with the right products!"_

Sam gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.  _"You weren't kidding Angela! I can't believe what I'm seeing! I wonder...do all death gods take on the same appearances? Or is there a different fashion style for each one?"_

Alex broke from her silence, adding in her own quip. _"I know right?! We can only see her through touching the death note. I'm guessing there are more of these guys lingering around and we don't even know about it!"_

_"Angela! The moisturizer! Please!"_

Matsuda jumped into action. " _Where is your bag, Cassie? I can go get it myself. I don't mind."_

Sam tapped her chin, questions filtered through her mind.  _"Wait...can we touch a death god now?"_

L tilted his head to the side.  _"Hmm...you bring a good point, Sandra. Is it possible to have physical contact with a death god?"_  He peered at Rem.  _"Rem?"_

Rem narrowed her eyes upon seeing these young ladies, the remaining members of this new trio, as harmless as the first one. Tuning out the loud blonde who relegated tales about face masks, she peered up at the names on top of their heads. The names on top of their heads contrasted with the ones in use.

Sandra, Cassie, and Angela were not their real names.

Processing the mention of her name, she answered L. " _We don't make a habit of touching humans."_

_"Hmm...is that a yes or a no?"_

_"Why do you need to know?"_

L waved his lolly over his knee, following the direction of the sweet. " _Just curious. It's best to cover all our grounds. We can physically touch your notebooks, a physical object you can hold in your hands. Meaning, humans who have touched a notebook can take the possessions of a death god."_

 _"Yes."_  Rem relented. " _We can touch humans. Those who cannot see us have a chill on the spot we touch."_

Clover clasped her hands together and piped up in glee.  _"Good! We can put on a face mask stat!"_

 _"No, thank you."_  Rem shivered at the glint in 'Cassie's' eyes. She received more than enough comments and suggestions from when she first met Misa. No need to submit herself to such activities when she did none of it with Misa.

* * *

_Marketplace - 11:56 am._

Hauling bags of groceries in one arm, Sam double checked the paper in her hands to find the bakery. Parking the car in between the grocery store and the bakery, gave her an incentive to walk around. Clover did the same during her later errands. Citing their lack of activity during this spy mission, meant sneaking in time for exercise. Anything to work their bodies and keep their trim figures. Hard work came into play in anything they strove to achieve.

The walking method gave Sam the opportunity to see the various shops and dabble on some of the cuisine. She ate at a ramen stand which filled her stomach and warmed her up. The workers were so kind, commenting on her amazing Japanese.

It was never good to go inside of a grocery store on an empty stomach.

Entering the bakery, Sam stood in the somewhat long line. From the time, it seemed people came in for a quick snack and left the place. According to her own calculations, this errand wouldn't take long.

Putting the bags on the floor, she flexed out her hands. Cringing at the red lines on her palms, she rubbed them on the front of her shirt. Her palms hurt from holding the bags for too long.

Maybe she should have left them in the car.

"Kira is God!" A fanatic boasted to her awkward friend, showing off the Kira website on her phone. "C'mon Juri, you can't tell me that it isn't cool that there's no new criminals walking around. We're safe now!"

Sam crouched down, she picked up her bags and straightened herself up. She kept an ear on them while facing forward. Observing her surroundings, she saw a mixture of reactions at the mention of Kira. A majority hid their fear while others faces showed their reverence of this faceless man. She researched the extent of the worship and found herself stumped at the devoted loyalty in the Japanese forums. America didn't have such an extensive network of forums for  **one**  criminal. Although, Kira held fans all around the world.

Overhearing more gushing from this girl, a shiver went up her spine. The fascination for this killer just plain disgusted her. Through her espionage experiences, she found little remorse for those who sought to injure others. Kira's goals seemed revolutionary in the surface, to those who believed in such justice, until the incarcerated innocents and civilians came into play. As Alex pointed out, many of the prisoners who died were proved innocent when they died. Thus, giving Kira's justice to  **only**  criminals as a ridiculous notion.

No one pushed this new evidence forward into the light. The fanatics still held onto the notion that Kira killed those unworthy of living on Earth. Kira's judgement was true and upheld in high regard. Kira did no wrong. These fanatics were blind in their devotion.

This newfound fear of an invisible wielder of  **justice** , lowered the crime down to a certain point. Well, to those who boasted about their illicit activities and were reported on the news networks on tv and the internet. There were always underground and hidden criminals who still participated in illegal activities. Their names might pop up, but remained careful in keeping their faces from appearing to the public.

Current events made it easy for people to use Kira to scare others. One little fight transformed a minor problem into a massive scale. She knew for certain that Kira didn't kill off people upon request. Then again, who knew how long that would last.

She hoped she didn't appear too out of the ordinary to gain the wrong attention. Her distinguishing looks and fiery red hair already made her stand out in Japan. Many already assumed she was a tourist and did second looks to check out her hair.

She clutched onto the protectiveness of the compowder's costume program to mask her face from the public with fierceness.

Sighing, she peered down at the order Wammy placed a week in advance. A span of seven days worth of sweets, some of which made her teeth hurt. The amount of pastries caused her to wince. As she made the calorie intake calculations, according to the cakes on display, this meant that L ate way more than appropriate for his age. L claimed he burned them off with brain power, but she never had such a luxury. She studied her butt off and this never happened to her.

Lucky bastard.

Walking toward the counter, she handed the cashier the paper. The young lady at the counter smiled in recognition at the order and hurried to get it settled. Sam concealed her terror at the amount of bags collecting on the counter.

* * *

_Headquarters - 1:50 pm._

Wetting her parched throat, Alex fanned her face to cool herself down. Despite bringing in a variety of bottled water, she finished three out of the five she brought in. Sitting in front of an enclosed space with blaring monitors brought in high temperature which made the room stuffy and uncomfortable.

She stared at the screen, going through different floors and their sub cameras, nothing happened and rooms remained empty. She switched through the main areas of the investigative team and saw the usual people working on the case. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Just for the fun of it, she went through the cameras of their floor. She peeked at the kitchen and bathroom cameras. Seeing no one in those rooms, she went through the other cameras. Her fingers hovered over the keys at the sight of a shadow appearing in the corner of one of the cameras.

Furrowing her brows, Alex switched to the next one, recognizing the intruder.

**Rem.**

Rem was going through their floor.

"Hmm." Alex typed on the keyboard, trying to follow Rem as she floated through the walls. Furrowing her brows, she noted Rem peering into the rooms before continuing on forward. L explained how Rem remained near her notebook in an undisclosed location. She didn't wander around. Although, L didn't have cameras in every inch of the property. Meaning, Rem might have spied on the inhabitants without anyone knowing any better.

Rem made careful steps in keeping herself away from the camera. Not much use since Alex caught her swerving around certain cameras, but showed her whole body in others. The lack of stealth and large frame worked in Alex's advantage. She caught every movement.

Remembering the microphones, she typed on the codes which radioed them in the room. Picking up the microphone signals, she heard Rem muttering odd words. Many of them made no remote sense and no incriminating words passed through her lips.

Too bad the microphones went one way. She sort of wanted to scare the death god, but backtracked at the thought of having Rem lay any sort of revenge onto her. In self preservation, she did nothing more than to observe her strange behavior.

When Rem did nothing else but inspect their floor, she left without prompting.

Alex filed the strange behavior away for the end of the day meeting.

She opened her compowder and ringed Sam. When Sam answered, Alex told her. "Sandy, it's time to switch. You're in the security room and I'll take over for Cassie."

"Roger that."

* * *

_2:00 pm._

Touching Matsuda's arm, Clover set down a cup of coffee in front of him. "Here you go, don't work too hard, okay?" Matsuda stammered an answer before picking up the cup and taking a sip. "Good."

She received scattered thanks from the team, well, except for L. He nodded his head and continued onlooking through different documents. Grown used to his thankless tendencies, Clover ignored his ridiculousness and collected the dirty dishes onto the old cart. She reacted a few times too many and realized that L loved to annoy her anyway.

L commandeered the quiet room when he said. " _Cassie_."

 _"Yes?"_  Clover sighed in dramatic fashion. Checking the time on her compowder, she waited with patience, eager to deny any of L's requests. The switch happened in mere moments. Alex could deal with him. Once the time hit two, she closed her compowder with a snap.

L held up a plate, not even looking at her, he waved it about when he said. _"I need more cake."_

Clover smirked.  _"Well, too bad. Angela is taking over. Ciao! Bye, boys!_ " Bolting out of the room, she left L holding an empty plate of what once was a strawberry cake. She missed L peeking over his shoulder, staring the empty space where she previously occupied.

Matsuda snorted while the other men bit the inside of their cheeks to prevent their laughter.

Seconds later, Alex walked through the threshold of the main room, pushing in a cart of food. She blinked in confusion at the quivering forms of the task force and L holding up a plate.  _"Um...what did I miss?"_

* * *

_7:34 pm._

Once Light stepped into headquarters, he subdued his reaction at seeing two new faces. A blonde girl with short hair and a long haired red haired girl, spoke to L in hushed tones. Walking closer, he pinpointed the red haired girl, placing her hand on L's shoulder. L's face tensed, but he didn't tell her to remove her hand. Odd. L removed physical contact the moment someone accidentally brushed their hands on him.

He overhead nothing as he walked closer to them. It seemed all three kept their voices at a lower volume, keeping their conversation away from prying ears. L seemed to give them a semblance of attention, still, he responded to them.

Checking around, he didn't catch Rem hovering around or attempting to eavesdrop during their investigation. The death god went through a screening process which cleared her as somewhat safe to have around their company.

 _"Ah, Light."_  L stared right into his eyes, ignoring the two beautiful girls on each side of him.  _"Good of you to join us this afternoon. I'm certain your father filled you in on my new personnel?"_

 _"Excuse me?"_ Clover chimed in, crossing her arms over her chest.  _"And here I thought we were your friends, buster. You can't brush us aside as just personnel, **the inhumanity**. Do hear hear him Sandra? He's being cold to us again. Good thing Angela isn't here to hear his words. She'd cry due to his blatant insensitivity."_

Sam managed to stop her laugh before it surfaced. Clover always managed to add scenarios throughout their disguise portion of their missions.  _"Not surprising."_  She played along, giving Light a quick glance, she transferred a cake from the cart onto the small table in from of L.  _"We've been addressed by worse names."_

Light broke eye contact with L, glancing at the ladies in front of him.  _"I thought you didn't have many friends, Ryuuzaki."_ Or none at all, he thought.

 _"Acquaintances turned friends...in a way. We've reconnected as of late."_ L pressed his thumb against his lips, eyes developing a sparkle at the cake, he picked up a forkful and ate a bite.

The main door of the area opened, revealing Matsuda and Aizawa. Once Aizawa caught sight of the perky blonde woman, he rubbed his temples, hoping Matsuda didn't notice her. After spending a day with them, he tolerated the young ladies, but Matsuda fumbled around for Cassie. Seeing Matsuda stumble on forward, he sighed. Matsuda's shy chuckle and sudden clumsy spell made an appearance.

" _Matsuda!_ " Clover greeted him, walking past a stunned Light, she stopped in front of Matsuda. " _Where have you been? Honestly, I turn my back for a moment and you disappear on me. Then again, I did leave on a quick errand, but you were not here to meet me. I thought you enjoyed my company?"_

Matsuda laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. " _I'm so sorry. I had to go back home and handle some personal business."_

Clover winked at him, placing a hand on his arm, making Matsuda sputter. " _I forgive you. It's a good thing you're here. I missed you."_

_"R-Really?"_

Aikawa rolled his eyes and went to his usual station. He nodded at Light, Ryuuzaki, and Sandra's direction before he sat down.

Not at all surprised at witnessing Clover's flirting game, she commented.  _"She can't go one day without flirting with him."_

L commented.  _"I can't process the attraction Cassie has developed to someone like Matsuda. It seems improbable."_ He bit into another huge portion of cake, ignoring Clover and Matsuda.

Begrudgingly, Light agreed inside of his head. He expected the blond to flock to him instead of someone like Matsuda. He expected it from the starry-eyed expression she sported before she ran up to the stumbling fool in question. His pride took a slight hit at having someone else upstage him.

Seeing his chance to know about these women, Light spoke up. "Excuse me,"

"Yes?"

"I haven't seen you around before."

"I'm Sandra Redwood." Sam put out her hand, ignoring the piercing gaze coming from Clover.

His accent came through when he spoke, light enough where anyone still understood him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Redwood, I'm Light Yagami." He added in a charming smile, lingering in hand contact, he stared right into her eyes.

Startled, Sam uttered out. "I didn't know you spoke English. We're so used to everyone speaking Japanese that we assumed—" She shook her head. "Never mind. Your father told us about your grades, naturally you would have aced English." Taking back her hand, Sam hid her annoyance at Light's extended contact. The guy had a girlfriend for heaven's sake.

Light humored her, trying to gather information from her. He became particular in observing people from their faces and hearing their voice. This helped him cover his tracks whenever someone grew close to discovering his secrets. "I don't use it very often. I still have a strong accent whenever I speak to any native speaker."

"It's still quite impressive."

"Your Japanese is amazing." Light tilted his head. "I wonder, where did you learn Japanese?"

"Ah—well, my old high school in Beverly Hills had an amazing extension on the language program. Angela still corrects me whenever I say anything wrong. She's the fluent one." Sam transitioned into another topic. "I heard from Angela that your  **girlfriend** , Misa Amane, met her yesterday. Miss Amane was shocked that we didn't know about her celebrity status."

Sam thought the light affected her sight because Light's face grimaced at the mention of his girlfriend. A fraction of a second later, Light's face reformed into the easy-going smile. Giving a brief glance to Clover, she motioned toward Light using her eyes.

Clover kept up a conversation with Matsuda while keeping an ear out toward them.

"Misa is used to having flocks of fans approach her. On my first day of university, she managed to gather a lot of attention from the students." Light hid his mouth with his hand as he chuckled. "I'm not surprised at her behavior at all. Is she not international yet?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "I don't follow idols. Cassie might know."

Clover stopped in the middle of her sentence. Gazing over her shoulder and inquired. "Yes? What's up?"

Sam asked her. "Is Misa Amane popular in America? I haven't kept track on the popular celebrities popping up on the scene."

"Hmm...not that I know of." Clover shrugged her shoulders. "She might be popular toward the ones interested in Japanese stuff, but not in the Hollywood gossip news networks."

"I see." Light said. "Misa will be sad to know that."

Sam informed him. "Fads change all the time. Even we barely keep up with the fashion changes that happen all the time. Who knows? We might even hear about Misa's popularity when we return to America."

"Knowing Misa well enough, she will keep her eyes on American gossip magazines." Light's inward disgust stayed in him at the thought of Misa's shrill demands of becoming world wide over other idols.

Sam changed topics. "You're in university, correct?"

Hearing the word university, Clover excused herself from Matsuda and made her way toward the security room. She wasted enough time and left the room without someone observing the cameras for far too long.

"Yes." Light tipped his head down in confirmation. "To-Oh University."

"Amazing!" Sam presented a perfect mixture of shock and amazement on her face. Having known about these tidbits, she sought to match these facts up with L's secret research. "You're in one of the best universities in the world?! I heard many great things from the brochures of universities I received years ago."

Light added in. "I tied in for first in the entrance exams." He relished in how quick he switched the tides on this woman. She seemed in control when she mentioned Misa, but his intelligence amazed her. "Ryuuzaki took the exam alongside me."

"Wait...he goes to university now?" Sam furrowed her brows. "I thought Ryuuzaki finished any forms of school years ago. He's usually so busy with cases that he doesn't have time to dally with school."

"Ah...he only did it for fun I suppose. He didn't stay long to immense himself in the classes." He was still forlorn about sharing the number one spot at university. Although, everyone forgot about L after a significant amount of time. No one recognized the appearance of the odd 'Hideki Ryuuga' from the freshman representative class.

Sam shook her head. "Ryuuzaki was always a tad strange. His varying convictions made it hard for us to know what to believe." She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Tell me, Light. What do you think of Ryuuzaki?"

Light presented a well mannered smile. "As you commented, he's strange, but his intelligence is a helpful tool in solving cases. We've grown used to his behavior that it doesn't faze us as much anymore. Besides, we're all here to stop Kira and bring him to justice."

Sam returned a smile of her own. "That's great. We all have to stick together. Well, you'll deal with us for another few days. You don't have to worry about us leaking out secrets. We know how to keep a secret. It helps that we signed confidentiality agreements as well."

Light commented. "Isn't that strange? For someone to call you friends, he seems...doubtful of you three."

"We don't mind." Sam informed him. "We've done the same in our other cases that we helped in. No one enjoys the lack of trust, but do remember that investigations of high caliber cannot have a single leak of information. It gives the perpetrators a chance to plan an escape route and flee."

* * *

_8:10 pm._

L slurped down his sludge of a coffee, recalling Sam's interaction with Light. From his spot on near the computers, he overheard a majority of their conversation. He found her action more than acceptable. She didn't falter under Light's charms and kept the story they all shared beforehand. Despite their small initial hiccups, Wooph trained their agents well. Proof came in the form of Sam, Alex, and Clover's continual successes.

Impressed at how she breached his files in order to gain the images associated with Light Yagami and Misa Amane, he found no urge to confront her about it. Not a bad call on her end. The spies needed a visual on their intended targets or persons of interests to keep an eye on. The fact these strangers picked up on something strange about Light and Misa was interesting. He didn't notice them hack files to find information on the other men on the task force.

Then again, their idea on looking into Light and Misa might be a coincidence of sorts. As a university student, striving to enter the police force, Light appeared as a typical smart student studying in his field of choice. Misa appeared as a dimwitted peppy idol, but in certain occasions, he thought he saw a flicker of intelligence in her. The infatuation she showed for Light did hinder any progress she might of presented.

Meaning, the spies lucked out on a lead which pushed Light and Misa into the forefront.

He remembered Clover's slight voice elevation whenever she interacted with Matsuda. A similar behavioral choice to Misa Amane when she interacted with Light Yagami. Questioning her incentive in keeping up such a farce, he wondered if her passing flirting tendencies for Matsuda were the beginning of romantic emotions.

He doubted it.

_"Hey, Ryuuzaki. I'm surprised to walk into headquarters and seeing two new people. Where is the third one, Ryuuzaki?"_

Looking up, L saw Light's perfect face and confidence, shining down onto him. " _Angela is running a quick errand for me."_

_"Is there a new break in the case?"_

L sipped more coffee, licking his lips to catch any lingering sugar. " _Not at all. Why do you ask?"_ Setting the cup back on the saucer, he began stacking sugar cubes on a spoon.

Light crossed his arms over his chest.  _"It's more of an observational question. There's always room for more eyes to help us on the case."_

_"Angela, Cassie, and Sandra are more than qualified to help us."_

_"Really?"_ From their youthful appearances, Light doubted the claim of their usefulness, one of them flirted with Matsuda of all people. Although, Sandra seemed the most competent from their first conversation. Yet, he hadn't had the pleasure of meeting the last member of the trio, Angela.

 _" Cassie, Angela, and Sandra worked on one of my old investigation cases in Los Angeles."_ L held a spoon up in the air, placing sugar cubes in perfect alignment.  _"Excellent in their field of work, they tend to work in a trio to solve cases."_ L dropped them into his coffee. " _You shouldn't judge by appearances Light."_

 _"My apologies._ " L released no other information on these women. No surprise there. He attained Sandra's last name without prompting. Although, he held off on the celebration, not when L brought in people with aliases to protect them from Kira.  _"Where is Watari?"_

L stacked more sugar cubes onto his spoon.  _"Watari left on personal business. I didn't see fit to inquire as to where, it's his vacation after all. He called on my old acquaintances, no, **friends** , to come in his place. In fact, he insisted on their presence."_ He looked up at Light through his bangs.  _"Leaving myself unprotected is a reckless move during these turbulent times."_

 _"Ah, yes, of course."_  Light smiled, hiding the oncoming grimace beneath his mask.  _"It's best to leave all bases covered. We can't have anything happen to you."_

 _"My thoughts exactly."_  L gulped down the rest of his coffee, grasping the carafe, he felt nothing inside the container.  _"Sandra!"_  He peeked over his shoulder, waving the carafe in his hand.  _"I need another batch of coffee."_

_"Got it!"_

* * *

_Sam, Alex, and Clover's floor - 11:22 pm._

Sam, Alex, and Clover went through their night rituals in complete eagerness. Decompressing from a long day, all three of them took hot showers and put on face masks. Before they relaxed, L dismissed them for the night and required no other services. Sam left L a cart of sweets and hot coffee in the main room, in case his hunger perked up again.

Freezing the interference of the microphones and the video cameras in Alex's bedroom, everyone picked certain spots to relax in. Clover and Alex used face masks which lasted an hour while Sam used a quick peel off mask. Ten minutes passed, Sam kept up their conversation as she went inside of the bathroom to peel off her mask. She used soap to wash her face and returned into the room with a small towel.

Sam decided to begin the meeting as she dried off her face. "Anything new to report, girls?"

"Rem walked through our floor." Alex swung her legs over the bed and laid on the covers. She melted into the soft bed, letting out a sigh of bliss. "She didn't look at anything, but she kept muttering the oddest things."

Clover kissed her teeth as she made herself comfortable in her chair. "Do you think she was looking through our floor before we touched the notebook? She was invisible before we did that."

"Maybe?" Alex rolled onto her belly. "Ryuuzaki was the one who said Rem stayed with her notebook."

Sam said. "Well, his reassurance was debunked. Rem can go throughout the place without anyone knowing. Who knows what she's overheard in this place." Patting her face dry, she applied her favorite moisturizer. "We can't slip up on our life back home in America. This death god might target someone we know and hurt them. The task force might trust her, but she gives me the heebie jeebies."'

Clover picked at the side of her drying face mask. "You don't have to tell me twice. I'm not letting that creepy lady go anywhere near my family. My cousin might be annoying, but he doesn't deserve to have such a heart stopping scare."

Alex snorted. "Your kid cousin might actually like to see her. Isn't he going through his creepy horror stuff phase right now?"

"Oh man that's right." Clover sighed. "He's using them as a basis for his pranks too. The little brat." Clover slammed her fist into the palm of her hand. "Ohh! Sandy, what happened with Light?"

Alex inquired. "Light?"

"Yeah! You weren't here this afternoon. Sandy talked with Light Yagami."

Alex snapped her head toward Sam. "Spill! What's he like?"

Sam sat on top of the bed and answered. "He seems...normal. Well, not normal per say, the guy entered To-Oh on top of his class. He's insanely smart and his looks are better in person, I have to admit. Although, I thought I hallucinated his reaction to his girlfriend." Alex and Clover arched their brows in confusion. "I mean..he seemed annoyed at the mere mention of the girl. For someone dating a cute girl, you'd think he'd be over the moon."

"Isn't he balancing this place and university? He might be too busy to handle a romantic relationship at the moment." Alex suggested.

"Nah. I don't think so." Clover said.

"I say that because when I met Misa, she seemed pushy." Alex wagged her finger. "She might want to take Light's free time and he has little to spare. For a smart guy, he's taking a lot of hard classes which take all of his attention."

Sam added in. "He seemed put together to me. The guy is balancing university  **and**  this task force. He has more than enough free time for this girl. Something about him makes me doubt him a bit. This might be my past mistakes on a certain  **ex**  of mine speaking, but Light is hiding something."

Clover let out a deep sigh. "I don't mind looking at the guy, but his girlfriend seems like the jealous type."

"I'm more scared of Rem if I'm honest with myself." Alex shivered.

Sam and Clover agreed with a grimace.

TBC


End file.
